What Are Social Problems, Essay Example

What are social problems? Where do they come from? How are social problems defined? (Explain the relationship between objective and subjective realities/definitions of social problems in this answer.) How and why is it hard to find and employ solutions to many social problems?

Social problems are the issues that directly or indirectly affect the majority or all the members of a society. Social problems affect the fabric of the community and they lie beyond the control of one individual no matter how much the power he or she holds. Some of the social issues that are considered as problems are violence, pollution, injustice and many others.

For a social issue to be classified as a problem, it must be getting attention from the public. There must be some public outcry about the issue. The issue must also have a gap between social ideals and social reality. It must run counter to the values of society at large. It must also get the concern of the majority in society. The condition that is to be called a problem should have the capability to get a solution through the collective action of the general public.

It is hard to find solutions or to implement recommendations for many social problems. This is because; social problems affect a vast majority of the population of the society. These people are all being affected by the problem in different ways hence each has a different suggestion of the solution to the problem. Implementation of recommendations is equally as hard since everyone being affected is supposed to take part and this does not necessarily happen.