This book is written not only (or even primarily) for sociologists, psychologists, or other "social service professionals," but also for curious and literate students and lay people. I have tried to make it accessible to the ordinary person. Most of all, it is written for those having direct experience of the psychiatric enterprise. The book as a whole is intended to show how psychiatric work creates patterns of interaction between the staff and residents that routinely poses the question, "Who's crazy?" on both the individual and societal levels. In chapter one, the author argues that...
This book is written not only (or even primarily) for sociologists, psychologists, or other "social service professionals," but also for curious and l...
When it was first published in 1980, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition--univer-sally known as DSM-III--embodied a radical new method for identifying psychiatric illness. Kirk and Kutchins challenge the general understanding about the research data and the pro-cess that led to the peer acceptance of DSM-III. Their original and controversial reconstruction of that moment concen-trates on how a small group of researchers interpreted their findings about a specific problem--psychiatric reliability--to promote their beliefs about...
When it was first published in 1980, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition--univer-sally known as D...
Increasingly, sociologists have turned their attention to the social problems of children- in particular, of younger children. This collection reflects those recent interest. While most researchers have focused on social problems involving adolescents, this volume offers instead original case studies of problems concerning preadolescent children.
The papers that Best has gathered here represent different theoretical and methodological approaches. They report on social issues in Albania, Kenya, and Japan as well as in the United States. The range of social problems they address is...
Increasingly, sociologists have turned their attention to the social problems of children- in particular, of younger children. This collection ref...
In assessing the concern that popular fears and stereotypes have exaggerated the actual scale of multiple homicides, Jenkins has produced an innovative synthesis of approaches to social problem construction that includes an historical and social-scientifi c estimate of the objective scale of serial murder; a rhetorical analysis of the construction of the phenomenom in public debate; and a cultural studies-oriented analysis of the portrayal of serial murder in contemporary media.
In assessing the concern that popular fears and stereotypes have exaggerated the actual scale of multiple homicides, Jenkins has produced an innovativ...
This study, based on quantitative and qualitative data gathered over a twelve-year period, takes its title from the two predominant styles of gang violence: -drive-bys, - which have replaced -rumbles- as the primary form of gang violence; and -gang-bangs---a generic term for other gang violence that includes assaults, knifings, and beatings.
The author attempts to understand the situations in which a young man would drive up to another human being and, without further ado, blow his head off. By examining hundreds of such situations, and employing both structural and...
This study, based on quantitative and qualitative data gathered over a twelve-year period, takes its title from the two predominant styles of gang...
Constructionist theory describes and analyzes social problems as emerging through the efforts of claimsmakers who bring issues to public attention. By typifying a problem and characterizing it as a particular sort, claimsmakers can shape policymaking and public response to the problem. Th is new edition of Images of Issues addresses claimsmaking in the 1990s, featuring such issues as fathers' rights, stalking, sexual abuse by the clergy, hate crimes, multicultural education, factory farming, and concluding with an expanded discussion of the theoretical debate over constructionism.
Constructionist theory describes and analyzes social problems as emerging through the efforts of claimsmakers who bring issues to public attention. By...
What is "too fat?" "Too thin"? Interpretations of body weight vary widely across and within cultures. Meeting weight expectations is a major concern for many people because failing to do so may incur dire social consequences, such as difficulty in finding a romantic partner or even in locating adequate employment. Without these social and cultural pressures, body weight would be only a health issue. While socially constructed standards of body weight may seem immutable, they are continuously re-created through social interactions that perpetuate or transform expectations about fatness and...
What is "too fat?" "Too thin"? Interpretations of body weight vary widely across and within cultures. Meeting weight expectations is a major concern f...
Many people consider their weight to be a personal problem; when, then, does body weight become a social problem? Until recently, the major public concern was whether enough food was consistently available. As food systems began to provide ample and stable amounts of food, questions about food availability were replaced with concerns about "ideal" weights and appearance. These interests were aggregated into public concerns about defining people as "too fat" and "too thin." Social constructionist perspectives can contribute to the understanding of weight problems because they focus attention...
Many people consider their weight to be a personal problem; when, then, does body weight become a social problem? Until recently, the major public con...
