Deck 11: The Uses of the Constructionist Stance

Question 1

When it is argued in your text that we must remember the importance of feedback in the social problems process, it means that

A)it is important to ask claimsmakers to explain what they are doing and why if we are to truly understand the construction process.
B)at every stage in the process, reactions to the construction can reshape the way the problem is being constructed.
C)subjects need to have a voice in how problems are constructed.d.sometimes a construction is so unpopular that it will never make it through the entire process.
E)all of the above
F)a and c only

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Each effort to construct a problem must

A)serve the purposes of the person or people creating it.
B)offer a clear and accurate depiction of the situation.
C)be convincing.
D)involve all of the six stages discussed in your text.
E)all of the above
F)a and c only

Answer 2

F

Question 3

The one thing all social problems have in common, as argued in your text, is that

A)they harm society in some way.
B)they harm individuals in some way.
C)people define them as troubling.
D)someone has recognized the damage they do.
E)the harm they do is great enough to attract attention.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

A constructionist approach encourages us to __________ when we see social problems claims.

A)assume that we are being manipulated
B)ask critical questions
C)focus on the opinions of subjects and social problems workers
D)turn to expert claimsmakers first
E)all of the above

Question 5

It is argued in your text that the book has something unique to offer in that

A)it helps you understand the causes of social problems.
B)it is organized as a series of chapters to summarize information about a problem.
C)it gives you tools that are applicable to helping you understand any problem.
D)other books focus too much on abstract theoretical problems.
E)all of the above

Question 6

Understanding the stages in the social problems process is helpful because it allows us to see how

A)some parts of the process operate and reminds us to think about their relationships to one another.
B)construction moves in a linear fashion through each of the stages in a consistent order.
C)each stage is distinct and unchanged by what occurs at other stages.
D)actors at the various stages are isolated from one another.
E)all of the above
F)b and d only

Question 7

What does your text mean when it says that social problems are looked at as a process rather than as social conditions?

Question 8

What is a social constructionist approach useful for, and what are its limitations?

Question 9

How does the knowledge that social problems construction is an interactive process shape the way we should think about the natural history of the social problems model?

Question 10

What does it mean to say that social problems are subjective? Do most people who discuss social problems talk about them as subjective? Why or why not?

Question 11

It is argued in your text that most conversations about social problems

A)involve people who do not know anything about the true causes of the problems.
B)focus on problems that do not have a significant impact on society.
C)assume that problems exist as objective facts.
D)result in conflict and no resolution.
E)all of the above

Question 12

Look at Figure 11.2 in your text. Explain what the different elements of the diagram represent. Be sure to address the large, bold arrows, smaller arrows, boxes, and contents of the boxes.