Showing papers in "Social Problems in 1973"
TL;DR: In an effort to examine the extent to which Hirschi's basic research results can be replicated, groups of rural male and female students in grades six through 12 of one school were asked to respond to a self-report delinquency questionnaire as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Focusing primarily on urban males, Hirschi (1969) presents research findings which are generally consistent with the propositions of his control theory. In an effort to examine the extent to which Hirschi's basic research results can be replicated, groups of rural male and female students in grades six through 12 of one school were asked to respond to a self-report delinquency questionnaire and a series of items which Hirschi used to test propositions of his control theory. Indicators of “attachment” to parents and the school; “commitment” to, and “involvement” in, conventional activities; and “belief,” were found to be related to reported delinquent involvement among these rural respondents to about the same extent as among Hirschi's urban males. However, his findings that attachment to peers and attachment to parents are positively related (to each other) and attachment to peers and reported delinquent involvement are negatively related, were not replicated; rather, the former relationship was found to be nearly orthogonal and the latter variables were found to be positively related.
319 citations
TL;DR: In this article, 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.
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.
230 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors define social problems as the process by which members of groups or societies, through assertions of grievances and claims, define a putative condition as a social problem and then a four-stage natural history model of social problems is described.
Abstract: A definition of social problems is proposed as a generic phenomenon: the process by which members of groups or societies, through assertions of grievances and claims, define a putative condition as a social problem. Then a four-stage natural history model of social problems is described. In Stage One, groups assert the existence and offensiveness of some condtion. In Stage Two some official agency responds to the claims; in Stage Three claims and demands re-emerge, expressing dissatisfaction with the official response. In Stage Four alternative, parallel, or counter-institutions are established.
223 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the relative effects of a moral appeal and a sanction threat on college classroom cheating were assessed, and the sanction threat was found to be most effective in deterring cheating among females and least effective among those who had the greatest incentive to cheat.
Abstract: This study represents an experimental test of deterrence hypotheses. The relative effects of a moral appeal and a sanction threat on college classroom cheating were assessed. The moral appeal was found to have no effect, but a clear and substantial impact was observed for the sanction threat. The sanction threat was found to be most effective in deterring cheating among females and least effective among those who had the greatest incentive to cheat. The applicability of the findings to deterrence theory is discussed.
171 citations
TL;DR: The authors examined patient abuse in a nursing home and showed how the everyday conditions of work there keep the nurses from seeing or hearing about patient abuse, and how these conditions also provide the nurses with routine ways to deny its occurrence when such a claim is made.
Abstract: This analysis, using data gathered by participant observation, examines patient abuse in a nursing home. It tries to show how the everyday conditions of work there keep the nurses from seeing or hearing about patient abuse. These conditions also provide the nurses with routine ways to deny its occurrence when such a claim is made. The conditions are: the invisibility of aide-patient interaction, the gap of hostility, and suspicion that separates the nurses from the rest of the employees, and the character and behavior of the personnel and patients which provide the nurses with “accounts” that deny its existence when allegations of abuse are made. In the conclusion, it is argued that similar conditions and processes may exist in other types of organizations.
81 citations
TL;DR: This paper argued that stereotypes function merely as fallacious rationalizations for outgroup antipathy and suggested that the liberal sympathies of social scientists discourage a test of ethnic stereotype accuracy, and explored the metasociology of stereotype investigation.
Abstract: Two related assumptions are challenged: (1) that stereotypes are inaccurate by definition, and (2) that stereotypes function merely as fallacious rationalizations for outgroup antipathy. A review of the literature indicates that stereotypy is a multidimensional concept, that degree of accuracy is a relatively unexplored variable, and that stereotypy and prejudice are not synonymous terms. The metasociology of stereotype investigation is explored. It is suggested that the liberal sympathies of social scientists discourage a test of ethnic stereotype accuracy.
77 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the social organization of systematic burglary is discussed and briefly compared to earlier work on systematic offenders, and it is suggested that the social organisation of burglary can be expected to continue to change as a result of macro-level changes in the economy and in the nature of security forces.
Abstract: The social organization of systematic burglary is discussed and briefly compared to earlier work on systematic offenders. Salient aspects of both the internal and external social organization of burglary are presented, especially as these are related to the problems of burglary. It is suggested that burglary continues to be more like the social organization of professional theft, as this was presented by Sutherland, than check forgery and armed robbery, as these have been depicted in recent literature. Some possible reasons for this are presented. Finally, it is suggested that the social organization of burglary can be expected to continue to change as a result of macrolevel changes in the economy and in the nature of security forces.
64 citations
TL;DR: The Model Cities program has been severely criticized by social scientists and practitioners for its faulty assumptions regarding social dynamics, its ineffectiveness, and its requirement of an authoritarian central decisionmaking structure in order to be made effective as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Comprehensive planning and coordination constitute the prevailing strategy for addressing the social problems of American cities. A current example is the Model Cities program.
The strategy has been severely criticized by social scientists and practitioners for its faulty assumptions regarding social dynamics, its ineffectiveness, and its requirement of an authoritarian central decisionmaking structure in order to be made effective. Yet it receives increasing support. Three aspects of the strategy are the social definition of poverty, the channeling of citizen participation, and the employment of evaluative research. These and other aspects involve latent functions which help explain the otherwise paradoxical commitment to the strategy by the federal government and local agencies.
61 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a review of three major concerns of the labelling perspective in deviance are discussed: locating the social origins of stigmatic labels, documenting the application of these labels to selected populations, and assessing the consequences of the labeling process for the recipients' future conduct.
Abstract: Discussion begins with a review of three major concerns of the labelling perspective in deviance: (1) locating the social origins of stigmatic labels; (2) documenting the application of these labels to selected populations; and (3) assessing the consequences of the labelling process for the recipients' future conduct. It is suggested that the latter concern is the most dramatic aspect of the labelling perspective. Two assumptions accompanying this version of the labelling argument are reviewed: (1) other's reaction to subject intensifies subject's behavior; and (2) psychological differences do not exist in a manner relevant to the production and explanation of deviant behavior. After accumulating evidence suggestive of weaknesses in the preceding assumptions, it is argued that the popularity of the labelling perspective in deviance may be best understood as an instance in the “Sociology of the Interesting.” Implications are suggested.
50 citations
TL;DR: The balance between detachment and concern was affected by the age and personality characteristics of patients and was derived from a specific type of patient contact.
Abstract: During a three month participant observation study of an intensive care unit, the maintenance of “detached concern” among medical personnel was analyzed. In order to function in their medical roles and to maintain emotional balance medical personnel typically employed the following coping mechanisms: humor, escape into work, language alteration, and rationalization. Discontinuity of detachment signaled a breakdown of coping and was derived from a specific type of patient contact. The balance between detachment and concern was affected by the age and personality characteristics of patients.
46 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used regression analysis on ecological data to suggest some theoretical viewpoints with respect to female labor force participation and suicide, and the results of the analysis on community level data in two metropolitan areas show that percentage nonwhite, percentage women in the labor force, male unemployment and income were significantly related to suicide.
Abstract: In the development of occupational studies of suicide one area of concern which generally has been neglected is female labor force participation. Using regression analysis on ecological data, this paper suggests some theoretical viewpoints with respect to female labor force participation and suicide. The results of the analysis on community level data in two metropolitan areas show that percentage nonwhite, percentage women in the labor force, male unemployment, and income were significantly related to suicide. The theoretical discussion is based on role and status integration and related problems for both women and men when there is increased involvement of women in the labor force.
TL;DR: Rainwater, Lee and William L. Burcart as discussed by the authors presented at the Twenty-third Annual Conference of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, Santa Barbara, California, USA.
Abstract: 1968 "Neutrality, partisanship, and effectiveness in minority research." Paper delivered at the Twentythird Annual Conference of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, Santa Barbara, California. 1970 "Colonialism: The case of the Mexican Americans." Social Problems 17(Spring): 463-472. 1972 "LUCHA in Agencyland: A Chicano self-help organization meets the establishment." Growth and Change 3(July): 43-50. Nisbet, Robert 1970 "The urban crisis revisited." The Intercollegiate Review 7(Fall): 3-10. Noblit, George S. and Janie M. Burcart 1973 "Ethics, power-less peoples. and methodologies for the study of 'trouble.' " University of Oregon, unpublished. Rainwater, Lee and William L. Yancy 1967 The Moynihan Report and the Politics of Controversy. Cambridge, Mass.: The M.I.T. Press. Record, Wilson 1973 "Can sociology and black studies find a common ground?" Paper presented at Black Cultural Forum, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon. Rossi, Peter H. 1971 Report of the secretary." The American Sociologist 6(November): 341-343. Ryan, William 1971 Blaming the Victim. New York: Pantheon.
TL;DR: The authors examines a set of extra-theoretical rules that have for some time dominated the field of deviance:Avoid the evil-causes-evil fallacy, avoid id arguments, and steer clear of kinds-of-people theories.
Abstract: This paper examines a set of extra-theoretical rules that has for some time dominated the field of deviance:
Avoid the evil-causes-evil fallacy.
Seek good explanations of evil phenomena.
Seek evil explanations of good phenomena.
Avoid id arguments.
Do not try to explain one thing by the absence of something else.
Steer clear of kinds-of-people theories.
Do not assume the values of the group making the rules.
Appreciate deviance.
These rules are a central part of the oral traditions of the field; they frequently appear in print; and they have molded several important theories of deviance. Each of them is criticized from an empiricist point of view. A new set of procedural rules is not proposed.
TL;DR: In the past few years, there has been a resurgence of self-criticism in sociology as discussed by the authors and the social sciences in general have been subject to attack from other groups as well.
Abstract: During the past few years there has been a resurgence of self-criticism in sociology. At the same time, sociology, and the social sciences in general, have been subject to attack from other groups as well. Some of the most dramatic and disturbing criticisms have come from minority groups. In 1965 Moynihan was strongly denounced by some black leaders for an analysis that many social scientists regarded as relatively sound. Despite its recognizable shortcomings, the Moynihan Report faithfully summarized much of what social scientists "knew about Negroes" and their problems (Rainwater and Yancey, 1967). A year later (before its findings had been developed or published), the first large-scale study of Mexican Americans was attacked by the Mexican American Political As-
TL;DR: In this paper, a review of the literature bearing on the use of health services is presented, and three alternative models of the determinants of such behavior emerge: unequal access, culture of poverty, and cultural and social psychological differences related to ethnicity and socioeconomic status.
Abstract: Research into the utilization of services is important theoretically as well as practically. From a review of the literature bearing on the use of health services, it may be seen that three alternative models of the determinants of such behavior emerge: 1) unequal access; 2) culture of poverty; 3) cultural and social psychological differences related to ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Data are presented on source of medical care for an area probability sample of Los Angeles County. These data indicate that complex cultural factors are important determinants of this aspect of the utilization of services. The implications of these findings for pluralism in the organization of services are discussed.
TL;DR: Questionnaire data from random samples of recent post-collegiate cohorts indicate that both incidence and prevalence of marijuana use are increasing, despite the aging of the cohorts; and that selected social correlates of initiation are poor predictors of the extent of use.
Abstract: Questionnaire data from random samples of recent post-collegiate cohorts are examined with respect to several behavioral dimensions of marijuana use. The data indicate (1) that both incidence and prevalence are increasing, despite the aging of the cohorts; (2) that selected social correlates of initiation are poor predictors of the extent of use; and (3) that the significant status changes of marriage and entry into parenthood, and not aging per se , account for the frequently observed cessation of use occurring in the mid- to late-20's.
TL;DR: Appeals for help were frequently made to specialists in institutional settings by women living in low-income areas who were raising children by themselves, and these appeals often were productive of distress for the women as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Appeals for help were frequently made to specialists in institutional settings by women living in low-income areas who were raising children by themselves. These appeals often were productive of distress for the women. Appeals for service were responded to by examinations regarding eligibility, bargaining regarding the character of the service, and incidental derogation of the women's worth. Appeals for support and guidance customarily were rejected.
TL;DR: A review of the application of operant conditioning principles in criminology can be found in this paper, where a set of propositions revising Sutherland's differential association theory are presented.
Abstract: Differential association has long been the most widely disseminated of the criminological theories, yet has remained untested. A recent innovation in the intellectual life of the theory has suggested a means of testing its adequacy but not its validity, and introduced operant conditioning principles into the mainstream of criminological thought. The paper systematically setting forth the application of operant principles to differential association has received endorsements by major criminologists, but close examination reveals fundamental oversights, which may serve to mislead sociologists and criminologists unfamiliar with operant conditioning. This analysis addresses itself to: (a) a set of propositions revising Sutherland's differential association theory; (b) a critique of Burgess and Akers (1966b); (c) a review of the application of operant conditioning principles in criminology.
TL;DR: The authors examine the controls upon the collection and analysis of data exerted by the very structures being studied and the possible means sociologists can employ for overcoming the strictures upon gathering and diffusing strategic information about the organizations that dominate industrial-urban societies.
Abstract: In order to understand the workings of large-scale bureaucracies, we must re-evaluate the way research upon them is conducted. Specifically, we must examine the controls upon the collection and analysis of data exerted by the very structures being studied and the possible means sociologists can employ for overcoming the strictures upon gathering and diffusing strategic information about the organizations that dominate industrial-urban societies.
TL;DR: The authors traces the development of the Social Survey movement in England and the United States, with particular emphasis on the latter, and also attempts to delineate the reciprocal influence it had upon American sociology.
Abstract: This paper traces the development of the Social Survey movement in England and the United States, with particular emphasis on the latter, and also attempts to delineate the reciprocal influence it had upon American sociology. In looking at the history of this movement an attempt is made to show how it must be approached in terms of contemporary ideologies. Research of this kind was characterized not only by a previously absent concern with the understanding of the total community by empirical means, but also by a search for the source of social problems which looked not to the individual but to the larger society. During the early decades of this century the Survey movement affected sociological research and writings in the areas of both methodology and community studies.
TL;DR: Analysis of data for the 109 largest metropolitan areas shows that the distribution of basic medical resources is unrelated to population characteristics reflecting health needs, infant mortality rates, especially nonwhite rates, are inverse to such medical resources, and organizational resources are important to Project distribution.
Abstract: The range in infant mortality rates among U.S. communities involves factors communities can influence, including the availability of medical resources. New programs, such as Social Security funded Maternal and Infant Care Projects, will reduce the range in area rates only if they go to communities with high rates. Past research, however, shows that local organizational resources are important to the distribution of various Federal funds; such resources may or may not be related to communities' need. A distinction between specialized and general resources is proposed. Analysis of data for the 109 largest metropolitan areas shows: (1) the distribution of basic medical resources is unrelated to population characteristics reflecting health needs, (2) infant mortality rates, especially nonwhite rates, are inverse to such medical resources, and (3) organizational resources, especially specialized resources such as a medical school, are important to Project distribution.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the social characteristics of these participants and examined how it is possible for them to engage in group sex or "swinging" and found that a significant number of married, middle-class, suburbanite conformists have become involved in this practice.
Abstract: Recent research on group sex or “swinging” has revealed that a significant number of married, middle-class, suburbanite conformists have become involved in this practice. The social characteristics of these participants raises a question concerning how it is possible for them to engage in this form of deviance. Examination of the processes of involvement suggests that external events that bring the practice into private consciousness and public discussion, ascribe credibility and feasibility to it, provide numerical inclusiveness and socal acceptablity of participants, and stipulate a rationale for the practice that is supported in its organization, create a structure in which persons who previously were ignorant of the practice and avowedly had given it little or no thought may become involved in it. This example of involvement in deviance is examined in the light of socialization, social control, and strain theory as they bear on deviance and conformity, and some critical considerations are posed.
TL;DR: Although both presidential and congressional commissions have been a part of the American political scene for some decades, only in recent years have both their function and frequency increased. as discussed by the authors pointed out that the increasing use of federal commissions may indicate a new trend by which national policy will come to be formulated.
Abstract: Although both presidential and congressional commissions have been a part of the American political scene for some decades, only in recent years have both their function and frequency increased. Richard Nixon, for example, during his first two years in office, appointed more than 50 commissions ranging from those concerned with federal statistics and oil import quotas to those concerned with campus unrest and drug abuse. As Bell (1966) has suggested, the increasing use of federal commissions may indicate a new trend by which national policy will come to be formulated. Bell speaks of "governance by commission" as a response to the growing isolation of the public from the decision-making processes at the federal level. Policy generated by commissions will become more important, Bell avers, due to the slippage of initiative legislation away from the legislative branch to the executive branch. As a consequence of this slippage, elected representatives will be less able to respond to the needs of their constituents in the face of en-
TL;DR: In this article, the authors compared the extent and consistency of civil liberties support in a Nebraska college sample to Berkeley students and found that the two schools were highly similar in terms of support for civil liberties.
Abstract: Modeled after the Selvin and Hagstrom study of Berkeley students in 1957, the present study compared the extent and consistency of civil liberties support in a Nebraska college sample to Berkeley. Results at the two schools were highly similar. Support of civil liberties depended in large part on the particular principle involved, but generally about a third of the students could be called highly libertarian. Sources of support were also explored. Those who were female (especially females with early marriage plans), active church attenders (especially Protestants), underclassmen, non-liberal arts majors, and those who reported little or no impact from their college life, were least supportive of civil liberties. It was concluded that extensive civil liberties support on the college campus was far less than an accomplished fact; yet there is evidence that college has a significant impact generally and on civil liberties support in particular.
TL;DR: In this paper, the violation of researcher-subject confidentiality can seriously jeopardize the trust which underlies the relationship, and the effect of these violations is not limited to the persons involved.
Abstract: rently rare and probably will continue to be infrequent. But the occurrence of only a few cases of the violation of researcher-subject confidentiality can seriously jeopardize the trust which underlies that relationship. Like the infrequent skyjack or terrorist bombing, the effect of these violations is not limited to the persons involved. The violations undermine and change the expectations of several groups of people. They undermine the confidence necessary for respondents to freely volunteer information to researchers. They encourage prosecutors and others to use researchers in their efforts to obtain all available information for their investi-
TL;DR: In this article, it is argued that a major source of student discontent is the alienation (in the Marxist sense) of intellectual labor, and that this is the main reason why students are so much more active than other possible constituency.
Abstract: The sources of student discontent are the major concern of this paper. It is argued that a major source of this discontent is the alienation (in the Marxist sense) of intellectual labor. Arguments that point to the growth of the multiversity and to the growth of a "liberated generation" are shown to be compatible with and subsumed by this approach. Arguments that point to general political and social issues as the main causes of student unrest are held to be inadequate since they fail to answer the question of why students are so much more active than other possible constituencies. Implications of this analysis for Barrington Moore's theories about the wellsprings of freedom and for Dahrendorf's model of preconditions for organization are discussed.
TL;DR: This paper will critically assess some of the potential social consequences of pre-selecting the sex of children in terms of the sex ratio, the birth rate, the proportion of first-born males, and family relationships.
Abstract: Medical scientists have predicted that parents will soon be able to pre-select the sex of their children (sex control). Social scientists have in turn projected some its potential social consequences in terms of the sex ratio, the birth rate, the proportion of first-born males, and family relationships. This paper will critically assess some of those projections.