Instructor’s Manual
for
Social Problems
Ninth Edition
By
John J. Macionis
, CHAPTER 1
SOCIOLOGY: STUDYING SOCIAL PROBLEMS
IRM CHAPTER CONTENTS
Chapter Update
Author’s Note
Chapter Outline
Learning Objectives
Detailed Teaching Objectives
John’s Chapter Close-Up: The Social-Constructionist Approach
John’s Personal Video Selection
Research for a Cutting-Edge Classroom
Supplemental Lectures, Teaching Suggestions, Student Exercises, and Projects
Web Links
Essay Questions
Film List
Revel Journal Assessments
CHAPTER UPDATE
In this ninth edition of Social Problems, Chapter 1 is thoroughly updated with the most recent
statistical information available on economic inequality, the public’s assessment of the most
serious social problems, and all other issues. Discussions explore and explain all of today’s
controversies including transgender athletics, access to abortion, global warming, sexual
violence, gun violence, and immigration. There is new and expanded coverage of the increasing
importance of social media in the process of defining social problems and solutions. As you
expect, the revised chapter also contains the latest data on topics including global inequality and
the distribution of public attitudes on the political spectrum. Every statistic in the chapter is the
latest available. There are thirty-two new research citations in the revised chapter, and 80 percent
of all references represent material published between 2020 and 2023.
This new edition is presented in the Revel digital-learning format. Digital content is
familiar and expected by students and increases student reading and comprehension. Digital
content allows for ever-increasing animation, greater interactivity, and journal writing
opportunities, as well as carefully chosen video material. As always, John Macionis personally
writes, develops, and updates all content. Revel raises the intellectual performance of your
students and provides superior learning content at roughly half the price of bound books used in
the past.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
In some respects, this first chapter is the most important chapter of all. For one thing, this chapter
introduces the sociological perspective, which guides sociological thinking about the society and
world around us. Students who “get it” early are those who have the best chance to do well
throughout the course. How can we help them develop a sociological imagination? Giving clear
definitions is important. It is also vital that we illustrate the sociological perspective with lots of
examples. Here are two strong examples of sociological thinking found in this chapter:
The chapter-opening story of Marcos Jorman illustrates how unemployment has more to
do with the operation of society than the choices made by individual people.
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, The Social Policy feature focusing on C. Wright Mills explains why what many people
view as “personal problems” are more correctly understood as “social issues.”
CHAPTER OUTLINE
I. Seeing Patterns: The Sociological Imagination
1.1 Explain the benefits of learning about sociology and using the sociological imagination.
• Sociological Imagination
o The sociological imagination is a point of view that highlights how society affects
the experiences we have and the choices we make.
• Sociology
o Sociology is the systematic study of human societies.
• Society
o A society refers to people who live within some territory and share many patterns
of behavior.
• Culture
o A culture refers to a way of life including widespread values (what is good and
bad), beliefs (what is true), and behavior (what people do every day).
▪ A traditional cultural value in the United States is individualism. In recent
years, this value is being challenged by the importance of “group identity”
based on race, class, gender, and sexual identity.
• Many of the personal troubles people experience are social issues with their roots in the
operation of the larger society.
• Social Policy: C. Wright Mills: Turning Personal Troubles into Social Issues!
• A sociological imagination gives us the power to bring about change, but it can also be a
bit disturbing to those raised to think only of individual choice.
II. Social Problems: The Basics
1.2 Define the concept “social problem” and explain how people come to define some
issues—and not others—as social problems.
• Social Problem
o A social problem is a condition that undermines the well-being of some or all
members of a society and is usually a matter of public controversy.
o A condition that “undermines the well-being” hurts people, either by causing them
immediate harm, draining their spirit, or limiting their choices.
o Because any issue affects various segments of our population differently, a
particular social problem is rarely harmful to everyone.
• Social Problems over Time
o The problems U.S. adults consider to be most serious have changed over time.
o Table 1–1 Serious Social Problems, 1935 and 2022.
▪ Only two issues are found on both lists: the economy and dissatisfaction
with government. Hold a discussion of why this is the case.
• The Social-Constructionist Approach
o Social problems arise as people define conditions as undesirable and in need of
change.
o Because social problems have a subjective as well as objective foundation, it is
important to consider both objective facts and the subjective perceptions.
▪ Figure 1–1 The Objective and Subjective Assessment of Social Issues.
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, o The distribution of power among categories of people in a society also plays a
major part in how we understand social problems.
• Claims Making
o Claims making refers to efforts by officials, individuals, and organizations to
convince others that a particular issue or situation should be defined as a social
problem.
o The process of claims making begins by rejecting some aspect of the status quo.
o Social media has become a powerful tool in the process of claims making because
it allows for the rapid spread of information throughout a population.
o Most controversial issues involve claims making from at least two different
positions; people on various sides of any issue use language to “spin” claims
(often described as “controlling the narrative”) in one way or another.
o Successful claims making is often marked by the results of an election or the
passing of a law.
• Problems and Social Movements
o Social Movement
▪ A social movement is an organized effort at claims making that tries to
shape the way people think about an issue in order to encourage or
discourage social change.
o Stages in Social Movements (see Figure 1–2 Four Stages in the Life Course of a
Social Movement)
▪ Emergence
• The emergence of a movement occurs as people (initially just a
few) share their concern about the status quo and begin to make
claims about the need for change.
▪ Coalescence
• A new organization begins by holding rallies and demonstrations
and engaging in political lobbying.
▪ Formalization
• The movement becomes established as it recognizes leaders, hires
staff, and gains visibility and power on the political scene.
▪ Decline
• A movement declines as the organization run out of money,
advances claims that fail to catch on with the public, or faces
strong opposition.
• In some cases, a social movement can decline simply because has
successfully accomplished its goals.
• Social Problems: Eight Assertions
o Social problems result from the ways in which a society operates.
o Social problems are not simply caused by “bad people.”
o Problems are socially constructed as people define a condition as harmful and in
need of change.
o Categories of people see problems differently.
o Definitions of problems change over time.
o Problems involve subjective values as well as objective facts.
o Many—but not all—social problems can be solved.
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