ASSIGNMENT 02

G.P.S.N.Samankumara
EUSL/TC/IS/2018/CS/82
COMM 2093 Development Communication
Year 02 semester Ⅱ

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A social problem is any condition or behavior that has negative consequences for large numbers
of people and that is generally recognized as a condition or behavior that needs to be addressed. It
is a group of common problems in present-day society and ones that many people strive to solve.
These problems can be traffic deaths, murders, crime, and more. They can be the general factors
that influence and damage society. People in society are diverse. one group of people in society
sees a social problem while another group cannot see it as a social problem. For example, not all
people consider playing loud music in the park a social issue but some consider it undesirable,
therefore, it is a problem.
In society, people have different personalities, family backgrounds different opinions .but at some
point they have one social problem. It may be a short period or a long period. But if society does
not choose the problem as a social problem .then they further do not discuss that problem and also
do not perceive it address or do anything for eradicating it .so the crucial point is the identification
of a particular issue by society as a problem.
Many sociologists and other scholars have attempted to develop a sound definition of a social
problem.
 Reinhardt – A social problem has been defined as “a situation confronting a group or a
section of society which inflicts injurious consequences that can be handled only
collectively”.
 Walsh and Furfey – A social problem as a “deviation from the social ideal remediable by
group effort”.
 Fuller and Myers – A social problem as a “condition which is defined by a considerable
number of persons as a deviation from some social norms which they cherish”.

Social problems come forward in different guises from time to time. For example, what was not
considered a social problem a few decades ago may become a crucial social problem two decades
later. And also history changes the definition of social problems. The issues that society considered
major in the past are often not that important in present.
Social problems can be distinguished into several parts, namely Economic problems, Cultural
problems, Physical or geographical problems, Biological problems, and Psychological
problems.

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However, Case (1964) and Fuller and Myers (1941) have explained the social problems in detail
in several parts.

 Case (1964) has given four types of social problems based on their origin:

01. Which are rooted in some aspect of the physical environment

The physical environment includes land, air, water,

plants and animals, buildings and other infrastructure,
and all of the natural resources that provide our basic
needs and opportunities for social and economic
development. a clean healthy environment is essential
for people's physical and emotional wellbeing.
.but nowadays, Humans impact the physical
environment in many ways. As a result, not only to the physical environment, but these
adverse effects have also affected the behavior of human society and it has become a
significant social problem. Issues such as overpopulation, pollution, human activities such
as the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, climate change, soil erosion, poor air, and
polluted water have been raised. These kinds of issues have had a severe impact on human
life and their daily lifestyle has completely changed along with it. Some people have
become chronically ill by drinking polluted water and breathing polluted air. Houses are
destroyed due to periodic flooding conditions. Other environmental factors can cause both
physical and psychological stress.

02. Which are inherent in the nature or distribution of the population involved.

Today, the world's population is increasing rapidly as

ever in human history. The world population was
estimated to have reached 7.5 billion in April 2017.
This situation is prevalent in developing countries.
Life expectancy at birth is increasing in developing
countries. Therefore, population growth in the third
world is very rapid. As life expectancy has increased,
the aging population is increasing. Urbanization has
become an acute problem, mainly due to the migration
of people from villages to cities in search of
employment. Municipal authorities have been
hampered in solving problems to meet the needs of the
city. As far as Sri Lanka is concerned, many slum
houses have been created in the area around Colombo.
The authorities have not been able to meet the basic
needs of the people living in them. Thus, due to the

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 rapid population expansion of a country, it has become difficult to fulfill the basic needs
of food, housing, health, clothing, etc. The government has to face social problems such as
lack of employment, large expenditure for welfare services, an increase in the number of
elderly dependents, etc.

03. Which result from poor social organization.

Due to the weak creation of society, many social

problems have to be faced nowadays. In many Asian
countries, due to creating a social organization based
on the concept of patriarchy, those countries try to
give less attention to women in some way. Women
are considered to be weak and inferior and their
rights have been taken away. This condition is
common in countries like India and Pakistan. This
can be called a very strong social problem. Various organizations are also intervening to
solve these problems.
Due to the creation of a society prone to various drugs, smuggling, crimes, and murders, it
has become a big threat to other people living in the society as well as a problem. Innocent
children become victims of drugs and the future is also at risk. In countries like America,
we hear and see school shootings regularly. This is because anyone in that country is
allowed to own a gun. Also, in some countries, famous streets and roads have been created
for drug users. Poor social organization was cred in.

04. Which evolve from a conflict of cultural values within the society

A group of people representing different

cultures can live in a society. Sometimes in
this multicultural society, there are more
chances of conflicts due to certain reasons.
The opinion of a group representing one
culture may not be liked by a group
representing another culture. For example,
child marriage may be accepted by one
culture while another may oppose it. Strong
social conflicts can arise in an environment
where such differences of opinion are
created. Many parents do a lot of research on
religion while getting their children married.
Apart from that, if the daughter or son gets
married, he or she has to face the blame from

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 the family. Sometimes language differences between cultures create some problems due to
a lack of communication. Conflicts between cultures are a very serious social problem.
Sometimes they can even lead to ethnic wars.
Cultural issues in the world extend to religious differences that can cause friction between
groups of people who don't understand one another's spiritual beliefs and customs.
Therefore, problems may arise in the communication process

 Fuller and Myers (1941) have given three types of problems:

01. Physical problems

Everyone has physical problems that they perceive

as a threat to their well-being although these are
problems for society, and the underlying reasons
for them are not value conflicts. It is not a cultural
or social issue. For example, earthquakes,
cyclones, floods, and droughts can be mentioned.
The way people adapt to this kind of physical
problem is different. It is not like one group of
people face such problems, another group meets such physical problems. There may be
disagreements about what to do to deal with such problems. It can become a social
problem.

02. Ameliorative problems

There is consensus about the effects of these problems but there are differences pertaining
to their solutions," Examples - include crime, physical and mental disease, accidents, etc.
These problems, unlike physical problems, are entirely social in that both the objective
condition and our responses to it are full of potential for interest or value conflict. That is,
all these problems arise from society. For example, if we take any crime of murder, society
itself may have a consensus about its consequences. But different people have different
ideas about preventing such crimes. There are differences in the solutions they offer.

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03. Moral problems

The third kind of problem they call the moral problem. Here there is no agreement that
the problematic condition itself is undesirable. Some groups in society believe it is a
problem and others argue with an equal intensity that it is not, that it is somehow a
"normal" social situation. Many of the conditions and processes we have included under
the rubric of problems of inequality are of this type, in that there is no universal agreement
that they are in fact problematic. There is no consensus pertaining to the nature or causes
of these problems, for ex-ample, gambling, alcoholism, drug abuse, and divorce. For
example, in a matter like a divorce, if two people can no longer continue their family life
and there is no future for them as a couple, they choose to divorce. But some people see
divorce as wrong and a social problem, while others can think of it as optimistic.

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