Question

What determines if something is considered a social problem? Think about the information in the text or your own definition. Are social problems cultural specific? That is, is what is a social problem in one culture possibly not a social problem in another? Why might it be that some cultures or some nations approach social problems differently?

Answer 1

There are a number of characteristics which constitute a social problem . All the social problems around the world have commonalities . The common characteristics of a social problem are written below

• Social problems are situations or scenarios or sometimes customs which have consequences to the whole society .
• A common origin
• They are a deviation from the ideals or we can say ideal situations .
• They have definite social character associated to them
• They all are interconnected
• Pathological conditions are involved in them
• They are solved by collective approach only

According to above characteristics a social problem can be defined as a situation or belief or we can say behavior that has negative affect and consequences on a large chunk of the society .

Yes there are social problems which are culture specific and some which are global in nature .For example racism is a global social problem and has consequences in every society . A culture specific social problem can be Female foeticide which is practiced in rural Rajasthan . Rajasthan is a state in North Western Part of India . Female Foeticide is not common in european nations but it is a major social problem in India This is because of the patriarchal and male dominated culture in India. It becomes very important to approach social problems from different aspects. This is because social problems are sometimes region specific or culturally specific. A one solution approach cannot be applied in this context . In the above example European perspective cannot be applied . We need to take a look at demographics of the region and also the prevalent cultural beliefs. So social problems require multidimensional approaches and only collective action is something which is common .