CAUSES OF SOCIAL PATHOLOGY 1.pptx

SOCIAL PATHOLOGY

1. SOCIAL PATHOLOGY YATHEESH BHARADWAJ H S 1 st Mphil PSW DIMHANS

2. INTRODUCTION Life from birth to death is a struggle for adjustment. The struggle for survival has left along the road the bones of those who have fallen in the fight. Social pathologies have existed as long as humans began living in groups. They are as antique as humans themselves.

3. The term  pathology   is a greek word, which is composed of  pathos  and  logos.   It literally means   the study of   diseases and disease processes . In medicine, pathology is the study of the causes and effects of illness, which is usually conducted in a laboratory environment. Applying that same concept to society, modern psychologists and sociologists have started to use the term social pathology to refer to problems or behaviors that violate social norms and often have a negative effect on society.

4. In the social sciences, deviant behaviors and actions, like violent crime, are known as  social pathology . The term social pathology generally refers to the pathos of society, i.e., the "social diseases" that affect society. However, a more explanatory term is social problems. Social problems are those diseased conditions of society that affect its normal functioning . A problem that is limited only to the level of an individual person or to only a few groups may not be regarded as a social problem. A social pathology affects society or its institutions and organizations at large. However, the very term social  problem  may mean any problem that has social origins, affecting at least two persons, that goes beyond mere psychological and physiological levels ( Kornblum and Julian, 1995)

5. Social pathology is the study of man’s failure to adopt or adjust himself/herself and his/her institutions to the necessities of existence to the end that he may survive and meet fairly well the felt needs of his nature. The study of certain social conditions existing within a society, which cause harm to members of that community. The conditions may be poverty, social class, sexual orientation, ethnic background, illiteracy, gender identity, and other economic or social disadvantages .

6. “ study of social problems (such as crime or alcoholism) that views them as diseased conditions of the social organism” – webster’s dictionary Social pathology is performing any act out of the courtesy which leads to a futile society and pathology is the treatment in social work  to understand the causes and precautions related to social pathology. For instance, the murders and rapes are considered as social pathology as it is the deviance from a normal behavior.

7. Social Pathology – historical view Definitions of  social pathology  are particular to specific times and reflect the dominant moral concerns of the era. This concept fits within the ideas of anthropologist  Mary Douglas . In  Purity and Danger  (1966) she examines the universality of cultural explanations of things considered “out of order” as polluting and dangerous.

8. Conti… Social Pathology was an attempt to use the science of the 19th century, even though it became highly moralistic discriminatory. Social Pathology sees deviance as caused rather than chosen, and its control is a medical like cure rather than penance or punishment. Social Pathology views deviance as sickness, not sin - a product of disease infecting the body or mind. Social Pathology attempts to explain deviance – a violation of moral expectations by individuals - Scientifically. It maintains the moral overtone of earlier times. Uses the existing science of the times.

9. Four conceptions of social pathology Arto Laitinen of Tampere university has proposed 4 conceptions related to social pathology- Social Pathology as an Umbrella Term for Social Wrongs Social Pathologies as Non-Natural but Sharing a Structure: Second-Order Disorders and More Encompassing Views Social Pathology as Disease of the Social Organism: Revitalized Social Organism Social Pathology as Degeneration of Social Life: Naturalism of Growth and Stagnation

10. Theories of Social Pathology

11. Social structure theory Social structure – made up of folkways, mores, ideals, standards, traditions, institutions and organization. If the social structure is well adjusted to the needs of the individuals, there is a sense of satisfaction on the part of the members of the society MINIMAL SOCIAL PATHOLOGY. If well adjusted, marginalized won’t suffer. Although the causes for social problems are multiple, sociologists contend that they are usually the manifestations of the failure in the social institutions themselves.

12. When an institution fails to address the basic needs of people, social problems occur. It is usually easy for an ordinary person to blame the cause of a certain social problem on the failure of individuals themselves . For example, if we take the problem of begging drug addiction, the individual victims are blamed for their actions. However , we need to look into the broader sociological and cultural contexts (Indrani,1998).

13. Social Exchange Theory The social exchange theory focuses on how people weigh costs and benefits when making decisions. It suggests that people consider the amount of resources invested against the reward. The theory helps explain deviance, as it states that individuals are more likely to engage in  deviant behaviour  if they perceive a small chance of getting caught or punished, and the rewards outweigh the costs.

14. Social Ecology Theory This theory suggests that an individual’s behavior results from social interaction with their environment and the conditions within it. Social factors are often the most important determinants of behavior. If individuals lack social skills or cannot find a job, they may be more likely to engage in deviance.

15. Social Control Theory argues that the more people value conformity, the less likely they will break the rules. It also suggests that an individual’s likelihood of engaging in deviant behavior is affected by their relationship with society. In societies where deviant behavior is expected, an individual’s possibility of participating in criminal activities is greater . every person is naturally prone to make deviance, but most of us conform to norms because of effective system of inner and outer control. It is those who have less effective control who deviate.

16. Labeling Theory It claims that people are labeled as deviant by society, regardless of their behavior. This theory suggests that labeling is the leading cause of deviant behaviors in society. Once people are labeled, they decide to act in a particular way to confirm the   label. This theory helps us understand how social pathologies develop and allows us to understand the role of community and culture . behaviors are deviant when and only because people label them as such ( Caffrey and Mundy, 1995)

17. Anomie Theory The norms of society change so quickly that people never have a chance to adjust. This leads to an unstable society where individuals do not know what to expect from society. The theory suggests that people are more likely to engage in deviant behavior if they do not conform to normal standards of conduct. Societal instability leads to social pathologies. People become frustrated by the constant change in society. Also, because people are unable to adjust to these changes, they look for alternative solutions.

18. T heory of natural selection of Charles Darwin: survival of the fittest Émile Durkheim, a French sociologist, created the foundation for the modern sociological study of society by focusing on social facts, structures, and systems rather than individuals. Durkheim introduced two analogies for a smoothly functioning  social order  characterized by solidarity: the machine (mechanical) and the body (organic). He envisioned society as a system seeking equilibrium with norms for behavior.  Anomie  was a pathological condition of moral breakdown at the societal level .

19. Differential association theory maintains that people learn deviant acts through socialization; structural strain theory maintains that deviance occurs when conformity to widely accepted norms of behavior fails to satisfy legitimate, culturally approved desires.

20. Causes of social pathology The deviations in social behavior as abnormal and traumatic causes and underlying factors that can affect the most important are : a) Individual factors such as gender, age, appearance and countenance, weakness and strength, disease, and genetic factors . b) Psychological factors such as tenderness, hatred, fear, anxiety, low intelligence, fantasy, power, low attractiveness, aggression, jealousy, mental illness. C ) that the most important social factors include: lack of adherence to religious families, the focus of family breakdown, social exclusion, occupation, unemployment, and unemployment, poverty and economic problems, unsuitable friends, environment, poverty, cultural and improper training, media and mass communication

21. According to Bernad , the repressive and tense condition consequent of social problems may be involving three types of elements ( i ) Tension factors which challange some values of society, (ii) Social values which are being challenged and (iii) intense reaction of individuals and groups to challenge.

22. Disintegration Socio-economic factors Political condition Interconnected – many social issues are interconnected. For example: poverty, unemployment, crime Tensions between systems and subsystems

23. References Arto Laitinen , University of Tampere , Arvi Särkelä , University of Lucerne - “ Four Conceptions of Social Pathology” Ghaffari , Far, Hassan, 2000. “Surveillance and social control, women's book”. Mohammad Husseini , 1999, “Introduction to Sociology and evolution and the evolution of society”, Tehran, Pacific Publications Social Pathology by Milena Büchs

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