Disciplines and

Ideas in the
Social Sciences
Applications and Intersections of
the Approaches in Addressing
Social Problems
 What I Need to Know

MOST ESSENTIAL LEARNING COMPETENCY:

Analyze the practical use of Social Sciences in addressing social concerns
and phenomenon.

safe to say that these issues arise due to inequalities in society and even humans played the biggest role for these certain
for these issues and different applications will be explained in the most efficient and practical way.
erstanding the social problems that occur in the society but also help them prepare and have an idea in solving these issues

At the end of the module, you should be able to:

Objectives:

 Discuss about social problems;

 Analyze the different situations about the types of social problems;at
 Show one‘s creativity in doing the activities (poem, poster, jingle writing).

1
 What I Know

Pre-test
I. Directions: Identify the sociologist who defined the following social problems
below. Write the letter of your answer in your activity notebook.

1. They defined social problem as ‗those conditions or situations which members of

the society regard as a threat to their values‘.
a. Fuller and Myers c. Merton and Nisbet
b. Raab and Selznick d. Walsh and Furfey

2. Defined social problem as ‗a way of behavior that is regarded by a substantial

part of a social order as being in violation of one or more generally accepted or
approved norms‘.
a. Horton and Leslie c. Merton and Nisbet
b. Walsh and Furfey d. Raab and Selznick

3. Social problem is seen as a ‗deviation from the social ideal remediable by group
effort‘.
a. Raab and Selznick c. Fuller and Myers
b. Walsh and Furfey d. Horton and Leslie

4. Defined social problem as ‗a problem of human relationship which seriously

threatens society or impedes the important aspirations of many people‘.
a. Merton and Nisbet c. Horton and Leslie
b. Fuller and Myers d. Raab and Selznick

5. Defined social problem as ‗a situation confronting a group or a section of society

which inflicts injurious consequences that can be handled only collectively.
a. Walsh and Furfey c. Merton and Nisbet
b. Reinhardt d. Fuller and Myers

II. For each of the following questions, choose if the statement is TRUE or FALSE.
On your activity notebook, write A if the statement is TRUE and B if the
statement is FALSE. Answer this directly in your notebook.
(A) TRUE (B) FALSE

6. One element of a social problem is it being a condition or situation not resented

as objectionable by a significant number of people.
7. A social problem is considered as undesirable because of its injurious
consequences.
8. All social problems want correction through collective action. They warrant
change in conditions via some means of social engineering.

9. All aberrant behaviors or deviations from accepted norms are termed as social
problems such as crime, juvenile delinquency, prostitution, rape, drug addiction,
domestic violence, ethnic or communal tension.

10. Social problems are static but change with the changes in time and space.
Changes in law and more changes the concept of social problem.

What’s In

In the previous lesson, you have learned about the importance of

having a Filipino-led academic social science in the Philippine academic
scene. In this lesson, we will delve more on the social problems faced by our
society, and how this affects our day to day life.

Activity: Concept Map

Directions: Copy the concept map below in your activity notebook.

Write your thoughts/ideas about social problem on the empty circles

below.

Social
Problem

3
 What’s New

SOCIAL PROBLEMS AND PHENOMENON

A social problem is an issue within the society that makes it difficult for people
to achieve their full potential. Social problems tend to develop when we become
neglectful and fail to see that serious problems are developing. Could these
problems have been prevented if our social institutions had been working well? I
think so, but this is where political philosophies are important to understand. Some
people believe that the government should be very involved in providing services to
people most at risk.

A problem is a condition of discontentment resented by someone. But when it

is resented by many people, it becomes a social problem. For a problem to be social,
it must involve a large number of people, sometimes groups and institutions, who
consider a particular condition as undesirable and intolerable and want to correct
through a collective action.

Thus, not all problems are social, unless the discontented persons come in
contact, vocalize their discontentment and associate to do something for its solution.
A problem becomes social when it is communicated to others and the activity of one
person leads to a similar activity for other persons. Thus, a social problem is different
from an individual problem. Individual problem is one which is felt by only one
person or a small group of people.
It does not affect the public at large. Its resolutions lie within the power and
immediate milieu of the individual or group. A public issue however requires a
collective approach for its solutions.

No one individual or few individuals are responsible for the appearance of a

socially problematic situation and the control of this situation is also beyond the
ability of one person or a few persons.
Social problem is a generic term applied to a range of conditions and aberrant
behaviors which are manifestations of social disorganization. It is a condition which
most people in a society consider undesirable and want to correct by changing
through some means of social engineering or social planning‖ (Oxford Dictionary of
Sociology, 1994
Definition Sociologist
Those conditions or situations which members of the society Fuller and Myers
regard as a threat to their values‘. Elucidating their ideas, they (1941)
said at other place that it is ‗a condition which is defined by a
considerable number of persons as a deviation from some
social norms which they cherish‘.
‗A situation confronting a group or a section of society which Reinhardt
inflicts injurious consequences that can be handled only
collectively.‘
Hold that a social problem is ‗a problem of human relationship Raab and
which seriously threatens society or impedes the important Selznick (1959)
aspirations of many people‘.
‗A way of behaviour that is regarded by a substantial part of a Merton and
social order as being in violation of one or more generally Nisbet (1961)
accepted or approved norms‘.
A social problem as a ‗deviation from the social ideal Walsh and
remediable by group effort‘. Furfey
A social problem is ‗a condition which many people consider Horton and
undesirable and want to correct. It is a condition affecting a Leslie (1970)
significant number of people in ways considered undesirable,
about which it is felt that something can be done through
collective measures‘.

Components of social problem

1. An objective condition, like crime, poverty, communal tensions and so forth,
the presence and magnitude of which can be observed, verified and
measured by impartial social observers; and

2. A subjective definition by some members of the society that the objective

condition is a ‗problem‘ and must be acted upon. Here is where values come
into play. People start perceiving that some values are being threatened.
Elements of Social Problems:

Though the above cited definitions differ in ways that they are explained, the
following important characteristics may be discerned from them:

1. A condition or situation resented as objectionable by a significant number of

people.
2. It is considered as undesirable because of its injurious consequences.
3. All social problems want correction through collective action. They warrant
change in conditions via some means of social engineering.
4. All aberrant behaviors or deviations from accepted norms are termed as social
problems such as crime, juvenile delinquency, prostitution, rape, drug addiction,
and domestic violence, ethnic or communal tension.
5. Social problems are not static but change with the change in time and space.
Changes in law also affects the concept of social problem.

Types of Social Problems:

Sociologists distinguish between two types of social problems. First, problems
of social organization which are created by the way the community or the society is
organized. Community or society produces situations that some members of the
society refuse to accept as right or necessary or even inevitable. These are, for
instance, communalism, casteism, regionalism, poverty, gender discrimination,
population, environmental imbalance (different kinds of pollution, health hazards,
etc.). Second, problems of deviance having to do with the adjustment of people to
conventional ways of living. These include, for example, delinquency, drug addiction,
alcoholism, mental illness, various forms of sexual behavior (rape, incest, sodomy),
bigamy, prostitution, vandalism and host of other behaviors, most of which are
forbidden by law.
 What is It

Analyze the different situations about the various types of social problems.
Write A if the problems of social organization which are created by the way the
community or the society is organized and B if they are problems of deviance having
to do with the adjustment of people to conventional ways of living.

Situation Answer
1. Coral Reef Degradation
2. Gang
3. Cyber Sex

4. Unequal Career Opportunities

5. Malnutrition

What’s More

Activity 1: Picture Analysis

Which of the following describes social problems? Identify each type.

A. B.

Source:

Source:

A B
 Source:
https://cdn.tourradar.com/s3/tour/645x430/85982_5df8b5c181a79.jpg

C D.

http://sapisah.blogspot.com/2015/08/social-
awareness-and-issues

Activity 2:
Direction: Use a long bond paper in making your poster, poem or jingle
composition.

1. Cite an example of a social problem in your community

2. Describe it through poster, poem or through a jingle (just choose one).
3. Be guided by the rubric below for this activity.
What I Have Learned
 What I Can Do

REVIEW: CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Directions: Complete the puzzle below by reading the clues provided below. Write
your answers in your activity notebook.
 Assessment
POST-TEST
I. Directions: Read each item below, and determine whether the statements
are true or false.. On your notebook, mark A if the statement is TRUE and
B if the statement is FALSE for each question.Write your answers in your
activity notebook.
(A) TRUE (B) FALSE

1. Social problems are static but they change with the change in time and space.
2. One element of a social problem is it being a condition or situation not resented
as objectionable by a significant number of people.
3. All social problems want correction through collective action. They warrant
change in conditions via some means of social engineering.
4. A social problem is considered as undesirable because of its injurious
consequences.
5. All aberrant behaviors or deviations from accepted norms are termed as social
problems such as crime, juvenile delinquency, prostitution, rape, drug addiction,
and domestic violence, ethnic or communal tension.

III. Identify the sociologist who defined social problems.

6. Defined social problem as ‗a situation confronting a group or a section of

society which inflicts injurious consequences that can be handled only
collectively.
a. Walsh and Furfey c. Merton and Nisbet
b. Reinhardt d. Fuller and Myers

7. Social problem is seen as a ‗deviation from the social ideal remediable by group
effort‘.
a. Raab and Selznick c. Fuller and Myers
b. Walsh and Furfey d. Horton and Leslie

8. Defined social problem as ‗those conditions or situations which members of

the society regard as a threat to their values‘.
a. Fuller and Myers c. Merton and Nisbet
b. Raab and Selznick d. Walsh and Furfey
9. They defined social problem as ‗a way of behavior that is regarded by a
substantial part of a social order as being in violation of one or more generally
accepted or approved norms‘.
a. Horton and Leslie c. Merton and Nisbet
b. Walsh and Furfey d. Raab and Selznic

10. They described social problem as ‗a problem of human relationship which

seriously threatens society or impedes the important aspirations of many
people‘.
a. Merton and Nisbet c. Horton and Leslie