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Copyright, iv
Box Features, xv
Preface, xvii
1. Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems, 2
What Is a Social Problem?, 4
Perspectives on Social Problems, 6
The Functionalist Perspective, 6
The Conflict Perspective, 10
The Interactionist Perspective, 13
The Natural History of Social Problems, 16
The Media and Social Problems, 17
Research on Social Problems, 18
Demographic Studies, 19
Survey Research, 20
Field Observation, 20
Social Experiments, 21
Social Policy, 22
Future Prospects, 24
Going Beyond Left and Right, 24
2. Problems of Health and Health Care, 28
Health Care as a Global Social Problem, 29
The Scope of Health-Care Problems in America, 32
Unequal Access to Health Care, 33
The High Cost of Health Care, 35
Inadequate Protection, 42
Women and Health Care, 46
The Disabled and Handicapped, 48
Ethical Issues, 49
AIDS A Modern Plague, 51
AIDS and Global Poverty, 54
AIDS Orphans, 55
Explanations of Health-Care Problems, 56
Class and Class Conflict, 57
Institutions and Health Care, 58
Health and Social Interaction, 59
Social Policy, 60
Managed Care, 61
Insurance Reform, 62
Working, but without Health Care, 62
The Disabled and Handicapped, 63
Social Policy and AIDS, 63
Future Prospects, 65
Going Beyond Left and Right, 65
3. Problems of Mental Illness and Treatment, 68
Mental Illness as a Social Problem, 70
Perspectives on Mental Illness, 72
Suicide and Mental Illness, 72
The Social Construction of Mental Illness, 74
Defining Mental Illness, 74
Classification of Mental Disorders, 76
Diagnosis or Label?, 77
Inequality, Conflict, and Mental Illness, 79
Incidence versus Prevalence of Mental Disorders, 79
Social Class and Mental Disorder, 79
Mental Disorder and Urban Life, 81
Other Factors, 82
Institutional Problems of Treatment and Care, 84
Methods of Treatment, 84
Changes in Mental-Health Treatment and Care, 85
Treatment Institutions, 87
Deinstitutionalization and Homelessness, 90
Social Policy, 94
Future Prospects, 95
Going Beyond Left and Right, 95
4. Alcohol and Other Drugs, 100
The Nature of the Problem, 102
Drug Abuse, 102
Abuse, Addiction, and Dependence, 103
Alcohol Use and Abuse, 106
Problem Drinkers and Alcoholics, 107
Who Drinks?, 107
Drinking Among Young People, 109
Alcohol-Related Social Problems, 111
Treatment of Alcoholism, 113
Illegal Drug Use and Abuse, 115
Commonly Abused Drugs, 115
Patterns of Drug Abuse, 119
Drug Use, Crime, and Violence, 123
Drug Use and AIDS, 124
Treatment of Drug Abuse, 125
Social Policy, 126
Future Prospects, 128
Going Beyond Left and Right, 129
5. Crime and Violence, 132
The Nature of Crime, 137
Police Discretion, 137
Problems of Accuracy, 140
Types of Crimes and Criminals, 141
Violent Personal Crimes, 141
Occasional Property Crimes, 145
Occupational (White-Collar) Crimes, 145
Corporate Crimes, 146
Public-Order Crimes, 148
Organized Crime, 149
Conventional and Professional Crimes, 151
Juvenile Delinquency, 152
Hate Crimes, 153
Gangs, Guns, and Violent Death, 155
Gangs and Violence, 155
Recent Trends, 158
Conditions and Causes of Crime and Violence, 159
Biological Explanations of Crime, 159
Biology, Violence, and Criminality, 159
Gender and Crime, 160
Age and Crime, 161
Sociological Explanations of Crime, 162
Controlling Crime, 167
Retribution-Deterrence, 168
Rehabilitation, 170
Prevention, 173
Social Policy, 174
Mandatory Sentencing, 174
Arrest and Incarceration, 175
Occupational and Corporate Crimes, 176
Organized Crime, 177
Public-Order and Juvenile-Justice Reforms, 177
Gun Control, 178
Future Prospects, 180
Going Beyond Left and Right, 181
6. Poverty Amid Affluence, 184
The Haves and the Have-Nots, 187
The Rich, 187
The Poor, 189
Poverty and Social Class, 191
The Nature of Poverty, 193
The Poverty Line, 193
Who Are the Poor?, 195
Event Poverty, 201
Concomitants of Poverty, 204
Health Care, 204
Education, 205
Housing and Homelessness, 205
Justice, 206
Explanations of Persistent Poverty, 208
Structural Explanations, 208
Cultural Explanations, 209
Social Policy, 210
Reform of “Welfare as We Know It”, 211
Welfare Policies and Growing Inequality, 215
Future Prospects, 216
Going Beyond Left and Right, 217
7. Racism, Prejudice, and Discrimination, 220
The Continuing Struggle for Minority Civil Rights, 222
The Social Construction of Minorities, 224
Defining Racism, Prejudice, and Discrimination, 225
Origins of Prejudice and Discrimination, 227
Prejudice and Bigotry in the Individual, 228
Prejudice and Bigotry in Social Structures, 229
Cultural Factors: Norms and Stereotypes, 230
Institutional Discrimination, 231
Education, 234
Housing, 236
Employment and Income, 238
Justice, 240
Political Discrimination, 242
Some Consequences of Prejudice and Discrimination, 244
Social Policy, 246
Job Training, 246
Affirmative Action, 246
Education for Equality, 248
Future Prospects, 251
Going Beyond Left and Right, 252
8. Gender and Sexuality, 256
Traditional Sex Roles, 258
Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation, 260
Gender versus Sexual Identity, 260
Homosexuality, 261
Sexism and Gender Inequality, 266
Power and Male Hegemony, 266
Stereotyping, 268
Sexism and Employment, 268
Sexual Harassment, 270
Homemaking, 273
Sources of Sexism, 273
Socialization, 273
Education, 274
The Family, 276
Language and the Media, 277
Organized Religion, 277
Government, 278
The Legal System, 278
Sources of Homophobia, 280
Social Policy, 281
The Women’s Movement, 281
Changes in Child-Rearing Practices, 282
Changes in the Educational System, 283
Changes in the Legal System, 284
Reproductive Control, 284
Changes in Men’s Roles, 286
Gay Rights, 286
Future Prospects, 288
Going Beyond Left and Right, 288
9. An Aging Society, 292
Aging as a Social Problem, 294
Perspectives on Aging, 296
The Elderly in America Today, 297
Age Stratification, 298
Who Are the Elderly?, 300
Ageism, 302
Dimensions of the Aging Process, 304
Physiological Aspects of Aging, 304
Psychological Dimensions of Aging, 305
Social and Cultural Dimensions of Aging, 305
Concomitants of Aging, 307
Victimization of the Elderly, 307
Elder Abuse, 307
Health Care and the Aged, 308
Economic Discrimination, 308
Family Problems, 310
Retirement, 311
Death, 312
Social Policy, 314
Housing, 314
Health Care, 315
Retirement and Social Security, 316
Future Prospects, 317
Going Beyond Left and Right, 318
10. The Changing Family, 322
The Nature of Families, 324
Adequate Family Functioning, 325
Effects of Women’s Employment, 326
The Black Family, 329
Divorce, 332
The New “Divorce Divide”, 333
Explanations of Trends in Divorce Rates, 334
The Impact of Divorce, 334
Stepfamilies, 335
Cohabiting Couples, 336
Postponement of Marriage, 336
Changing Norms of Parenthood, 337
Births to Unmarried Women, 337
Teenage Pregnancy, 338
Gay and Lesbian Families, 339
Homeless Families, 340
Family Violence, 342
Child Abuse, 342
Spouse Abuse, 343
Social Policy, 345
Divorce Law, 345
Efforts to Reduce Teenage Pregnancy, 347
Child Care and Family Support, 348
Future Prospects, 348
Going Beyond Left and Right, 349
11. Problems of Education, 352
Sociological Perspectives on Education, 354
Functionalist Approaches, 355
Conflict Approaches, 355
Interactionist Approaches, 356
Educational Attainment and Achievement, 357
Education and Equality: The Issue of Equal Access, 361
Black Students, 362
Hispanic Students, 363
Preschool Programs, 364
Desegregation, 366
School Reform: Problems of Institutional Change, 367
Schools as Bureaucracies, 368
Classroom and School Size, 369
School Choice, 369
The Technological Fix, 371
Teachers’ Unions, 372
School Violence, 372
Social Policy, 374
Educational Conservatism and Back to Basics, 375
Humanism and Open Education, 377
Access to Higher Education, 378
Future Prospects, 380
Going Beyond Left and Right, 380
12. Problems of Work and the Economy, 384
The American Free-Enterprise System: Key Trends, 385
Global Markets and Corporate Power, 387
Multinational Corporations, 387
Global Factory, Global Sweatshops, 388
Effects on American Workers, 390
From Manufacturing to Services, 390
Women in the Global Labor Market, 392
Technology and Specialization, 394
Problem Aspects of Work, 395
The Changing Nature of Employment, 396
Job Stress, 399
Alienation, 400
Occupational Safety and Health, 401
Consumers and Credit, 402
Problems of Debt Entanglement, 403
Corporate Crime and Business Failure, 404
Social Policy, 407
Future Prospects, 408
Going Beyond Left and Right, 408
13. Urban Problems, 412
An Urbanizing World, 414
The American City, 417
Urban Growth and Social Problems, 418
Antiurban Bias, 418
The Composition of Urban Populations, 419
Theories of Urbanism, 422
Wirth’s Theory, 422
Compositionalism, 423
Subcultural Theory, 424
Critical Urban Theory and the Los Angeles School, 424
Metropolitan Growth, 425
Rural Depopulation and Its Consequences, 427
The Transportation Boom, 429
The Impact of Suburban Growth, 431
Problems of Cities, 432
Decentralization, 433
Relocation of Manufacturing, 433
Financial Problems, 434
Government, 434
Shelter Poverty, Homelessness, and Neighborhood Distress, 436
Shelter Poverty, 436
Homelessness, 437
Distressed Neighborhoods, 438
Social Policy, 440
Housing, 441
Homelessness, 441
Future Prospects, 443
Going Beyond Left and Right, 443
14. Population and Immigration, 446
The World’s Population, 447
Measures of Population Growth, 449
The Demographic Transition, 450
Rising Expectations, 452
Food and Hunger, 454
Population Control, 456
Family Planning, 456
Zero Population Growth (ZPG), 456
Population Control in LDCs, 457
The U.S. Population, 459
Immigration and Its Consequences, 461
Immigration to the United States: A Brief History, 461
Recent Trends in Immigration to the United States, 463
Urban Concentration of Immigrants, 464
Undocumented Immigrants, 465
Social Policy, 470
Immigration Reform?, 471
Future Prospects, 472
Going Beyond Left and Right, 473
15. Technology and the Environment, 476
The Nature of Technology, 477
Technological Dualism, 478
Technology and Global Inequality, 478
The Digital Divide, 480
Controlling Technology, 480
Autonomous Technology, 480
Automation, 481
Whistle-Blowers, 482
Identity Theft—A Global Crime Wave in Cyberspace, 483
Bureaucracy and Morality, 484
Technology and Institutions, 485
Technology and the Natural Environment, 488
Environmental Stress, 489
Origins of the Problem, 490
Air Pollution, 490
Water Pollution, 494
Solid-Waste Disposal, 495
Other Hazards, 497
The United States and the World Environment, 501
Social Policy, 503
Policy on Global Warming, 504
Appropriate Technology, 506
Future Prospects, 506
Going Beyond Left and Right, 507
16. War and Global Insecurity, 510
Terrorism, Global and Domestic, 511
Measuring Terrorism in the United States, 513
Origins of Terrorist Groups, 515
Terrorism and Religion, 515
Terrorism’s Impact on Society, 517
War and Its Effects, 518
Indirect Effects of War, 519
Effects of Nuclear War, 520
Rogue States and Weapons of Mass Destruction, 521
Controlling Warfare, 522
War on Terrorists and the Rule of Law, 522
“Just Wars” and War Crimes, 523
Theories About War and Its Origins, 525
Ethological and Sociobiological Theories, 525
Clausewitz: War as State Policy, 525
Marx and Lenin on War, 526
Institutional and International Perspectives, 527
Social Policy, 530
Arms Control: A Promise Unfulfilled, 532
Dealing with Terrorism, 533
Future Prospects, 535
Going Beyond Left and Right, 536
Glossary, 539
Bibliography, 543
Photo Credits, 555
Index, 556

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