Toward a Sociology of Social Problems: Social Conditions, Value-Judgments, and Social Problems

1973/04/01 by John I. Kitsuse, Malcolm Spector · 226 citations
Social Sciences · Psychology · #Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice #Sociology #Value (mathematics) #Social psychology #Social science #Psychology #Computer science

paper · doi:10.2307/799704

published in Social Problems 20(4), 407-419 (Oxford University Press)

openalex publication_date 1973/04/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/02

Abstract

Two major approaches to the study of social problems are examined: the functionalist statement by Merton, and the value-conflict view of Waller, and Fuller and Myers. The ambiguities of the relationship between the concepts “objective conditions” and “social problem” contained in the statements of these writers are identified and analyzed. Some preliminary suggestions are made to define the subject matter of the sociology of social problems as a specialized area of study.

Citations

• Social Problems as Collective Behavior

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• Social constructionism [wikipedia]