The human being is not normally isolated but lives in society. Consequently, we share all kinds of experiences with others. In this way, certain problems affect large sectors of the population and, in some way, the entire population as a whole. These types of problems are labeled as social problems.
It would be impossible to make a list of all of them, but a significant sample could be the following: unemployment, racism, workplace and school bullying, different forms of discrimination, corruption, environmental pollution or domestic violence.
General considerations on the concept of social problem
Someone's personal situation can have two dimensions: an individual and a collective one. Thus, if a young person does not find a job when he finishes his studies, his problem affects him, but at the same time this problem is representative of what happens to many other young people. In this sense, certain individual situations have a collective or social meaning.
In each historical moment there is a type of social problems. Thus, the problems derived from globalization are unique to the present. However, certain realities have remained throughout history and have a timeless dimension (there has always been a degree of poverty in some sectors, a dose of xenophobia or the exclusion of some groups for various reasons).
It would be wrong to understand that a problem is social because it affects a large number of people. In fact, from a purely numerical point of view, certain problems are a minority (for example, bullying) but its low statistical incidence does not mean that it is not a problematic and worrying situation for society as a whole.
The label of social problem depends on the scale of values of each individual
Let's imagine that an individual is fond of dog fighting. He or she finds their hobby fun and stimulating. On the other hand, another person may consider that this hobby is a symptom of a social problem, the mistreatment of animals. This simple example tries to illustrate an idea: something acquires the rank of a social problem when it is valued from a moral perspective that is projected beyond the individual.
The ethical valuation of each one is oriented towards the whole of society for several reasons:
1) we all have a criterion about what is good and bad,
2) we live in society and
3) To a greater or lesser extent, humans feel empathy for other people's problems.
Photos: Fotolia - Tatyana Gladskih / Africa Studio
