Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Region VI - Western Visayas
Schools Division of Iloilo
P.D. MONFORT NATIONAL SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL
P.D. Monfort South, Dumangas, Iloilo

Disciplines and Ideas in the Social Sciences (HUMSS 11 – Plato)

Quarter 4: Module 4

Applications and Intersections of the Approaches in Addressing Social Problems

Sociological Perspective on Social Problems:

A. The Sociological Imagination

Sociological Imagination – a person must be able to pull away from the situation and think from an alternative point of
view. It requires us to “think ourselves away from our daily routines and look at them anew.’’
Personal trouble – refer to a problem affecting individuals that the affected individual, as well as other members of
society, typically blame on the individual’s own personal and moral failings (Ex. eating disorders,
divorce, unemployment)
Public Issues – refers to social problems affecting many individuals whose source lies in the social structure and culture
of
a society
C. Wright Mills (1959) – this philosopher believed that sociological imagination involves the ability to recognize that
private troubles are rooted in public issues and structural problems
William Ryan – According to this philosopher, the blaming victim approach would say that the children’s parents do not
care about their learning, they failed to teach them good study habits, and do not encourage
them to take
school seriously
B. Theoretical Perspectives
These perspectives look at the same social problems, but they do so in different ways. Their views taken
together offer a fuller understanding of social problems than any of the views can offer alone.

Theoretical Major assumptions Views of social problems

perspective
Functionalism Social stability is necessary for a strong society, Social problems weaken a society’s stability
and adequate socialization and social integration but do not reflect fundamental faults in how
are necessary for social stability. Society’s social the society is structured. Solutions to social
institutions perform important functions to help problems should take the form of gradual
ensure social stability. Slow social change is social reform rather than sudden and far-
desirable, but rapid social change threatens social reaching change. Despite their negative
order. effects, social problems often also serve
important functions for society.
Conflict theory Society is characterized by pervasive inequality Social problems arise from fundamental
based on social class, race, gender, and other faults in the structure of a society and both
factors. Far-reaching social change is needed to reflect and reinforce inequalities based on
reduce or eliminate social inequality and to create social class, race, gender, and other
an egalitarian society. dimensions. Successful solutions to social
problems must involve far-reaching change in
the structure of society.
Symbolic People construct their roles as they interact; they Social problems arise from the interaction of
interactionism do not merely learn the roles that society has set individuals. People who engage in socially
out for them. As this interaction occurs, individuals problematic behaviors often learn these
negotiate their definitions of the situations in behaviors from other people. Individuals also
which they find themselves and socially construct learn their perceptions of social problems
the reality of these situations. In doing so, they from other people.
rely heavily on symbols such as words and
gestures to reach a shared understanding of their
interaction.

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Functionalism (functionalist theory or perspective) - emphasizes the importance of social institutions for social stability
and implies that far-reaching social change will be socially harmful.
-arouse out of two great revolutions of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries
-eighteenth Century (French Revolution 1879) – intense violence and bloody terror shook Europe tom its core
Industrial Revolution(19th Century) – started in Europe and United States, the industrial revolution led to many changes,
including the rise and growth of cities as people left their farms to live near factories ( people lived in increasingly poor,
crowded, and decrepit conditions, crime was rampant)

Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) – a French scholar largely responsible for the Sociological Perspective
-He felt that human beings have desires that result in chaos unless society limits them, (1952)
Social Mechanisms:
1. Socialization – helps us learn society’s rules and the need to cooperate as a people end up generally agreeing
on important values
2. Social Integration – ties to other people and to social institutions such as religion and the family, helps
socialize us and integrate us into society and reinforce our respect for its rules

Conflict Theory - emphasizes social inequality and suggests that far-reaching social change is needed to achieve a just
society. (Karl Marx, 1818-1883), and his collaborator (Friedrich Engels, 1820-1895)

Karl Marx - A society is divided into two classes based on the ownership of the means of production (tools, factories,
and the like)

Capitalist Society:
1. Bourgeoisie (Ruling Class) – owns the means of production, interested in maintaining its position at the top of society
2.Proletariat (Working Class) – does not own the means of production and instead oppressed and exploited by the
bourgeoisie

Symbolic Interactionism - emphasizes the social meanings and understandings that individuals derive from their social
interaction

Herbert Blumer (1969) - American sociologist at the University of Chicago, social psychologists, and philosophers He
coined the term symbolic interactionism and felt that people do not merely learn the roles that society has set out for
them; instead they construct these roles as they interact.

References

Blumer, H. (1969). Symbolic interactionism: Perspective and Method. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Boyd, E. M., Reynolds, J. R., Tillman, K. H., & Martin, P. Y. (2011). Adolescent girls’ race/ethnic status, identities, and
drive for thinness. Social Science Research, 40(2), 667–684.
Durkheim, É. (1952). Suicide (J. Spaulding & G. Simpson, Trans.). New York, NY: Free Press. (Original work published
1897).
Gans, H. J. (1972). The positive functions of poverty. American Journal of Sociology, 78, 275–289.
Lorber, J. (2010). Gender Inequality: Feminist Theories and Politics. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Marx, K. (1906). Capital. New York, NY: Random House. (Original work published 1867).
Marx, K., & Engels, F. (1962). The communist manifesto. In Marx and Engels: Selected works (Vol. 2, pp. 21–65).
Moscow, Russia: Foreign Language Publishing House. (Original work published 1848).
Mills, C. W. (1959). The sociological imagination. London, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.
Ryan, W. (1976). Blaming the victim (Rev. ed.). New York, NY: Vintage Books.
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-hccc-socialproblems/chapter/1-2-sociological-perspectives-on-social-
problems/
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-herkimer-socialproblems/chapter/1-2-sociological-perspectives-on-social-
problems/
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-herkimer-socialproblems/chapter/1-2-sociological-perspectives-on-social-
problems/

Prepared by:

FRANNIE S. PALABRICA

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Subject Teacher