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Contemporary Social Problems

by: Parrillo, Vincent N.; Stimson, John; Stimson, Ardyth

Contemporary Social Problems

by: Parrillo, Vincent N.; Stimson, John; Stimson, Ardyth

ISBN 13:
9780205285532
ISBN 10:
0205285538
Edition: 4th
Format: Paperback
Copyright: 08/01/1998
Publisher: Pearson College Div
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Summary

Parrillo uses an eclectic and comprehensive blend of theoretical viewpoints to analyze contemporary problems, shows how social problems are socially constructed, and provides many cross-cultural examples of problems in other societies. Brief sociohistorical perspectives at the beginning of each chapter show how the extent of problems in the U.S., as well as our perception of them, have changed over time.

Preface

PART I SOCIOLOGY OF SOCIAL PROBLEMS

(52)

Chapter 1 Definitions and Perspectives

(26)

The Four Elements of a Social Problem

(6)

Individual or Social Damage

(1)

Offense to a Powerful Group's Standards

(1)

Persistence

(2)

Overabundance of Proposed Solutions

(3)

The Role of the Social Scientist

(4)

Research Thinking

(1)

Research Observation

(2)

The Importance of Theories

(1)

Sociological Perspectives

(8)

The Functionalist Orientation

(4)

The Conflict Orientation

(1)

The Interactionist Orientation

(1)

The Feminist Orientation

(2)

The Postmodernist Orientation

(1)

Guiding Principles for Studying the Future

(3)

We Can't Always Predict the Future, But We Do Invent It

(1)

What You Don't Know Can Hurt You: Latent Effects

(1)

"Plan or Be Planned For"

(1)

Examine the Taken-For-Granted

(1)

Use Scenarios to Examine Alternative Futures

(1)

Summary

(1)

Key Terms

(1)

Suggested Readings

(1)

Chapter 2 The Individual in Modern Society: Alienation, Anomie, and Postmodernism

(24)

Functionalists: Social Situations Create Individuals' Problems

(5)

Shyness and Culture

(1)

The Loss of Community

(3)

Anomic Situations

(1)

Conflict Theorists: Alienation and Powerlessness

(5)

Powerlessness

(3)

Political Alienation

(1)

The Human Commodity

(1)

Interactionists: Searching for Meaningful Identities

(5)

Individual Negotiation and Social Change

(1)

Loss of Individualism: Society Packages Your New Identity

(2)

Secularization and the Search for Meaning

(2)

Postmodernism: A Break with the Past

(1)

Adolescent and Young Adult Suicide

(3)

Motivations for Suicide

(2)

Media Influences

(1)

Alternative Futures

(2)

Pessimistic Scenario

(1)

Optimistic Scenario

(1)

Summary

(1)

Key Terms

(1)

Suggested Readings

(1)

PART II CHALLENGES TO INDIVIDUAL WELL-BEING

(106)

Chapter 3 Alcohol and Drug Abuse

(36)

The Sociohistorical Context

(1)

Alcohol and Drug Use in International Context

(1)

Alcohol

(5)

Dangers

(1)

Youth and Alchohol Consumption

(1)

Gender-and Alcohol Consumption

(2)

Cocaine and Crack

(2)

Use

(1)

Cocaine and Public Policy

(2)

Marijuana

(1)

Dangers

(1)

Use

(1)

Narcotics

(2)

Dangers

(1)

Use

(1)

Tobacco

(4)

Why Smoke?

(1)

Anti-Smoking Campaign

(2)

Social Consequences of Drug Use

(4)

Crime

(1)

Automobile Accidents

(1)

III Health

(1)

Economic Losses

(1)

Drug Abuse in Sports

(1)

Social Control and Solution Attempts

(6)

Preventive Programs

(1)

Treatment Programs

(4)

Sociological Perspectives

(4)

The Functionalist Orientation

(1)

The Conflict Orientation

(2)

The Interactionist Orientation

(1)

Alternatives Futures

(3)

Pessimistic Scenario

(1)

Optimistic Scenario

(2)

Summary

(1)

Key Terms

(1)

Suggested Readings

(1)

Chapter 4 Sexual Behavior

(32)

The Cross-Cultural Context

(1)

Past and Preliterate Societies

(1)

Social Control of Sexual Intercourse

(1)

Changing U.S. Patterns of Sexual Behavior

(6)

The Rise and Decline of Casual Sex

(1)

Casual Sex Not Personally Fulfilling

(1)

Premarital Sex

(1)

Extramarital Sex

(1)

Safe Sex

(1)

International Comparisons

(2)

Homosexuality

(6)

Homosexuality in Sociohistorical Context

100

(1)

Homosexuality in the United States

101

(1)

The Extent of Homosexuality

102

(2)

Public Attitudes About Homosexuality

104

(1)

Pornography

105

(4)

The Victims of Pornography

106

(1)

Pornography and Violence

107

(1)

Pornography and The Internet

108

(1)

International Comparisons

109

(1)

Prostitution

109

(5)

The Sexual Career of a Prostitute

110

(2)

Is Prostitution a Social Problem?

112

(1)

International Comparisons

113

(1)

Child Molestation

114

(1)

The Extent of Child Molestation

114

(1)

Responding to the Problem

114

(1)

Sociological Perspectives

115

(3)

The Functionalist Orientation

115

(1)

The Conflict Orientation

116

(1)

The Feminist Orientation

116

(1)

The Interactionist Orientation

117

(1)

Alternative Futures

118

(2)

Pessimistic Scenario

118

(1)

Optimistic Scenario

119

(1)

Summary

120

(1)

Key Terms

121

(1)

Suggested Readings

122

(1)

Chapter 5 Crime and Violence

123

(36)

Crime, Laws, and Prosecution

124

(1)

Laws and Norms of the Society

124

(1)

Differential Enforcement of Laws

124

(1)

Measuring the Extent of Crime

125

(4)

Index Crimes and the Uniform Crime Report

125

(1)

Victims and the National Crime Victimization Survey

126

(3)

Violence in the United States

129

(3)

Violence in Sociohistorical Context

130

(2)

Violent Crime

132

(5)

Homicide

132

(2)

Rape

134

(3)

Organized Crime

137

(1)

White-Collar Crime

138

(1)

Property Crime

138

(1)

Juvenile Delinquency

138

(3)

What is Juvenile Delinquency?

139

(1)

Gangs

139

(2)

Rethinking Juvenile Crime

141

(1)

The Criminal Justice System

141

(4)

The Police

142

(1)

The Prisons

142

(3)

Terrorism

145

(5)

Terrorism in Sociohistorical Context

145

(2)

Dealing with Terrorists

147

(1)

Political Terrorism

148

(1)

How Effective is Terrorism?

149

(1)

Sociological Perspectives

150

(3)

The Functionalist Orientation

150

(1)

The Conflict Orientation

151

(1)

The Interactionist Orientation

152

(1)

Alternative Futures

153

(2)

Pessimistic Scenario

153

(1)

Optimistic Scenario

154

(1)

Summary

155

(1)

Key Terms

156

(1)

Suggested Readings

157

(2)

PART III CHALLENGES TO SOCIAL EQUALITY

159

(96)

Chapter 6 Race and Ethnic Relations

161

(29)

The Sociohistorical Context

162

(1)

International Comparisons

162

(2)

Dimensions of the Problem

164

(1)

Institutional Discrimination

164

(13)

Education

165

(4)

Employment

169

(4)

Housing

173

(2)

Justice

175

(2)

Specific Problem Areas

177

(5)

Native Americans

177

(1)

African Americans

178

(1)

Hispanic Americans

178

(1)

Asian Americans

179

(1)

Illegal Aliens

180

(1)

Anti-Immigrant Sentiment

180

(2)

Sociological Perspectives

182

(3)

The Functionalist Orientation

182

(1)

The Conflict Orientation

183

(1)

The Interactionist Orientation

184

(1)

Alternative Futures

185

(2)

Pessimistic Scenario

185

(1)

Optimistic Scenario

186

(1)

Summary

187

(1)

Key Terms

188

(1)

Suggested Readings

189

(1)

Chapter 7 Poverty

190

(34)

Poverty in Sociohistorical Context

191

(2)

International Comparisons

193

(1)

Blaming the Poor

193

(3)

Intelligence as an Explanation

194

(1)

The Culture of Poverty

195

(1)

The Nature of Poverty

196

(2)

Absolute Deprivation

196

(2)

Relative Deprivation

198

(1)

Who are the Poor?

198

(5)

Minority Status

198

(3)

Family Structure

201

(1)

Age

202

(1)

Locale

203

(1)

The Impact of Poverty

203

(3)

Health

203

(1)

Housing

204

(1)

Family Life

205

(1)

Attitudinal Responses

205

(1)

Education

205

(1)

Work

206

(1)

Work and Welfare

206

(4)

The Welfare Poor

206

(1)

Public Welfare Programs

207

(1)

Welfare as a Way of Life

208

(1)

Income Distributions

209

(1)

Eliminating Poverty

210

(4)

The "Trickle Down" Approach

210

(1)

The "Robin Hood" Approach

211

(1)

The Interventionist Approach

211

(3)

Sociological Perspectives

214

(5)

The Functionalist Orientation

214

(2)

The Conflict Orientation

216

(2)

The Interactionist Orientation

218

(1)

Alternative Futures

219

(2)

Pessimistic Scenario

219

(1)

Optimistic Scenario

220

(1)

Summary

221

(1)

Key Terms

222

(1)

Suggested Readings

223

(1)

Chapter 8 Gender Inequality

224

(31)

The Biological Argument

225

(2)

"Support" for the Biological Argument

225

(1)

Weakness of the Biological Argument

226

(1)

Socialization and Sexism

227

(3)

Family Influence

227

(1)

Media Influence

228

(2)

Sexism in Sociohistorical Context

230

(1)

Gender Inequalities in an International Context

230

(2)

Newer Identified Forms of Sexism

232

(6)

Genital Mutilation and Female Sexuality

232

(2)

Women as Disposable Property

234

(1)

Sexual Harassment

235

(3)

Arenas of Change

238

(5)

Education

238

(2)

The Workplace

240

(2)

Political Representation

242

(1)

The Social Construction of Maleness

243

(2)

Sociological Perspectives

245

(4)

The Functionalist Orientation

245

(1)

The Conflict Orientation

245

(1)

The Interactionist Orientation

246

(2)

The Feminist Orientation

248

(1)

Alternative Futures

249

(2)

Pessimistic Scenario

250

(1)

Optimistic Scenario

251

(1)

Summary

251

(1)

Key Terms

252

(1)

Suggested Readings

253

(2)

PART IV CHALLENGES TO SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS

255

(134)

Chapter 9 The Family

257

(36)

Family in Sociohistorical Context

258

(2)

Recent Changes

258

(2)

The Scope of Family Problems

260

(2)

Divorce

262

(5)

Factors Contributing to the High Rate of Divorce

263

(1)

The Impact of Divorce on Adults

264

(1)

The Impact of Divorce on Children

264

(3)

Changes in Family Structure

267

(5)

Remarriages and Reconstituted Families

267

(1)

Single-Parent Families

268

(3)

Teenage Pregnancy

271

(1)

Violence and Abuse

272

(5)

Incidence of Family Violence

272

(3)

Social Factors Linked to Violence

275

(2)

Sexual Violence and Victimization in the Family

277

(2)

Marital Rape

277

(1)

Incest

278

(1)

The Need for Societal Intervention

279

(1)

Services for Battered Wives

279

(1)

Intervention in Child Abuse

279

(1)

The Police

279

(1)

Prevention of Family Violence

280

(1)

Family in an International Context

280

(2)

Why Are Families in Trouble?

282

(1)

Individual Faults

282

(1)

The Growing Emphasis on Individual Rights

282

(1)

Deviant Families and Sick Individuals

283

(1)

Sociological Perspectives

283

(5)

The Functionalist Orientation

283

(2)

The Conflict Orientation

285

(2)

The Interactionist Orientation

287

(1)

Alternative Futures

288

(2)

Pessimistic Scenario

288

(1)

Optimistic Scenario

289

(1)

Summary

290

(2)

Key Terms

292

(1)

Suggested Readings

292

(1)

Chapter 10 Problems in Education

293

(31)

Education in Sociohistorical Context

294

(1)

Social Promotions

294

(1)

Grade Inflation

295

(1)

Curriculum Change

295

(1)

Education in an International Context

295

(1)

The School is a Bureaucracy

296

(2)

Conformity and Obedience

297

(1)

Hierarchy of Authority

297

(1)

Education and Social Class

298

(5)

Dominance of Middle-Class Values

298

(1)

Ability Grouping or Tracking

299

(4)

Education Problem Areas

303

(5)

School Dropouts

303

(1)

Adult Illiteracy

303

(3)

School Funding

306

(2)

A Question of Quality

308

(3)

Subject Matter

309

(1)

Academic Standards

309

(1)

Teacher Competency

310

(1)

How Else Can We Improve Education?

311

(5)

Equitable School Districts

312

(1)

Voucher Plans

313

(1)

Learning Environment

314

(2)

Sociological Perspectives

316

(4)

The Functionalist Orientation

316

(1)

The Conflict Orientation

317

(1)

The Interactionist Orientation

318

(2)

Alternative Futures

320

(1)

Pessimistic Scenario

320

(1)

Optimistic Scenario

320

(1)

Summary

321

(1)

Key Terms

322

(1)

Suggested Readings

322

(2)

Chapter 11 The Corporate United States and Work

324

(34)

Work in Sociohistorical Context

325

(1)

The Corporate United States

326

(4)

Who Owns the Corporations?

326

(1)

Engulf and Devour

327

(1)

Corporate Technostructure

328

(1)

Market Manipulation

329

(1)

Consumer Manipulation

329

(1)

Government-Corporate Alliances

330

(4)

The Military-Industrial Complex

330

(4)

Multinational Corporations

334

(3)

International Impact

335

(2)

Work in the Corporate United States

337

(8)

Occupational Trends

337

(2)

Unemployment and Underemployment

339

(4)

Job Satisfaction

343

(2)

Occupational Health and Safety

345

(4)

Government Regulation

345

(1)

Health Hazard Occupations

346

(3)

Sociological Perspectives

349

(4)

The Functionalist Orientation

349

(1)

The Conflict Orientation

350

(1)

The Interactionist Orientation

351

(2)

Alternative Futures

353

(2)

Passimistic Scenario

353

(1)

Optimistic Scenario

354

(1)

Summary

355

(2)

Key Terms

357

(1)

Suggested Readings

357

(1)

Chapter 12 Health Care

358

(31)

Health Care in an International Context

359

(1)

Health Care in Sociohistorical Context

360

(2)

Dominance of Modern Medicine

361

(1)

The Social Organization of Health Care

362

(9)

Unevern Health-Care Delivery Systems

363

(1)

Health Care for Profit

364

(2)

Malpractice

366

(1)

The Hospital Industry and Its Expenses

367

(1)

Medical Insurance

368

(1)

Rise of Managed-Care Programs

369

(2)

Bioethics: Life and Death Discussions

371

(3)

Abortion

371

(3)

Keeping the Dying Alive

374

(1)

The Aids Epidemic

374

(3)

Scope of the Problem

376

(1)

Impact on Health Care

377

(1)

Mental Health

377

(3)

The Nature of Mental Disorders

377

(1)

Socioeconomic Factors

378

(2)

Sociological Perspectives

380

(3)

The Functionalist Orientation

380

(1)

The Conflict Orientation

381

(1)

The Interactionist Orientation

382

(1)

Alternative Futures

383

(2)

Pessimistic Scenario

383

(1)

Optimistic Scenario

384

(1)

Summary

385

(1)

Key Terms

386

(1)

Suggested Readings

386

(3)

PART V CHALLENGES TO THE QUALITY OF LIFE

389

(62)

Chapter 13 Urban Decline and Growth

391

(27)

U.S. Cities in Sociohistorical Context

392

(1)

Urban Change in the United States

393

(4)

Urban Sprawl

393

(3)

Traffic Congestion

396

(1)

Housing Problems and Solutions

397

(8)

Redlining and Abandonment

397

(1)

Urban Renewal

398

(1)

Public Housing

398

(1)

Housing Subsidies

399

(1)

Gentrification

400

(2)

Homelessness

402

(3)

Political Fragmentation

405

(1)

Can Snowbelt Cities Compete with Sunbelt Cities?

405

(3)

The Bos Wash Megalopolis

406

(2)

Urban-Suburban Interdependence

408

(2)

The Central Cities

408

(1)

The Outer-Ring Suburbs

408

(1)

The Inner-Ring Suburbs

409

(1)

Thinking Regionally

410

(1)

Cities in an International Context

410

(1)

Sociological Perspectives

411

(3)

The Functionalist Orientation

411

(1)

The Conflict Orientation

412

(1)

The Interactionist Orientation

413

(1)

Alternative Futures

414

(1)

Pessimistic Scenario

414

(1)

Optimistic Scenario

415

(1)

Summary

415

(2)

Key Terms

417

(1)

Suggested Readings

417

(1)

Chapter 14 Population and Ecology

418

(33)

Population in Sociohistorical Context

419

(4)

Malthusian Pessimism

419

(2)

Earth as a Lifeboat

421

(1)

Demographic Transition Theory

422

(1)

Population Pressure on the World

423

(7)

Continuing Growth

423

(1)

Population Size and Resource Depletion

424

(1)

Destruction of the Rain Forests

424

(4)

Hunger in Developing Nations

428

(2)

The Ecosystem

430

(7)

Ecosystem Thinking

430

(1)

Current Ecosystem Problems

431

(6)

The Persistence of Ecological and Population Problems

437

(7)

Positions that Deny the Need for Action

438

(2)

The Role of Culture

440

(1)

The New Environmentalism

441

(2)

Beyond Voluntary Planning

443

(1)

Policy Proposals for Population Reduction

444

(1)

Sociological Perspectives

444

(3)

The Functionalist Orientation

445

(1)

The Conflict Orientation

445

(1)

The Interactionist Orientation

446

(1)

Alternative Futures

447

(2)

Pessimistic Scenario

447

(1)

Optimistic Scenario

448

(1)

Summary

449

(1)

Key Terms

450

(1)

Suggested Readings

450

(1)

Notes

451

(40)

Glossary

491

(8)

Index

499

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

Contemporary Social Problems

Contemporary Social Problems

9780205285532

0205285538

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

Write a Review

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

Contemporary Social Problems

Contemporary Social Problems

9780205285532

0205285538

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

Write a Review

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