The Construction of Social Problems

It was really fascinating to me to consider social problems in the context of perception. Its interesting to read Joel Best’s analysis of how social problems are accepted or not accepted because I think we (in this class and in society as a whole) generally perceive social problems to be a given. They are a part of the fabric of our society given the nature of capitalism and our institutions. What is often not recognized, and what Joel Best highlights in his book, is the fact that all social problems are constructed by individuals or groups of individuals who are either personally affected by an issue or have a stake in seeing a problem fixed. I liked Best’s explanation of the study of social problems which stated, “[the study] should not focus on conditions, but on the claims about conditions”

Best explains the process of claimsmaking as a six-step “natural history” of social problems. This natural history consists of: claimsmaking, media coverage, public reaction, policymaking, social problems work, and policy outcomes. It is in this manner, Best contends, that social problems are constructed. The part of this natural history that was particularly striking to me was the focus upon media coverage and the need to target individuals who might already be sympathetic to the cause. To me, this step in the process seems to be the most vital in the construction of social problems but also a component that would pollute the actual problem in the way that media morphs our perceptions of things.  

This reading has made me think more philosophically about the existence of social problems and makes me realize that we are often only relying upon the information of the claimsmakers and the media to determine the legitimacy of the social problems, which are most likely not the most reliable sources. This makes me wonder about the difference between the realistic existence of problems and how they’re socially constructed and portrayed. Is there usually a large gap between the two?