Challenges of Society 



The challenges in this category are almost limitless: international 

 strife, discrimination, crime and delinquency, and the spectrum of 

 interpersonal and intergroup conflicts. Individual and social problems 

 appear to be intrinsic to social life itself. While the nature and extent of 

 such problems change over time, and differ from one society to 

 another, the benefits of social life are always accompanied by stresses 

 that engender problems. 



Virtually all present societies exhibit conflict and turmoil. There 

 are several possible reasons for this in the case of the United States. 

 American society is heterogeneous in race, in national origin, and in 

 socioeconomic level. It is a rapidly changing society — culturally, 

 physically, and technologically. It is sufficiently affluent to explore and 

 innovate deliberately, trying and testing new ideas in all realms from 

 business to religion, but its material affluence has not brought an 

 equal measure of psychological well-being. It allows for a diversity of 

 subcultures and variegated life styles. And it encourages the 

 aspiration — but does not always provide the commensurate 

 opportunity — for the social mobility and progress of each individual. 



These are not the ingredients for a static and self-satisfied society. 

 They produce instead an experimenting society that is dynamic and 

 seeking and, therefore, sometimes frustrated. Strains on social 

 institutions and individuals are likely to persist, and possibly even 

 worsen, as the result of several disparate conditions and trends such 

 as: declining birth rate and consequent aging of the population; high 

 rates of inflation; limited access to medical care; a high level of crime 

 against people and property; and differences between the races and 

 sexes in employment opportunities and income. 



Specific social problems may persist for long periods in spite of 

 efforts to resolve them. A study of social trends by a presidential 

 commission expressed concern about the level of crime; the extent of 

 poverty; the "sprawl of great cities"; the role of women outside the 

 home; and the "consumer and his perplexities." This study was 

 published in 1933. Its contemporary tenor illustrates the tenacity of 

 many social problems. 



The obstacles to dealing effectively with such problems are 

 several: 



• Problems are difficult to define. The extent and severity of such 

 problems are often unknown, the causes obscure and 

 indirect, and boundaries of the problems diffuse and shifting. 

 Efforts to define problems precisely enough to attack them 

 may omit possible remedial alternates or neglect important 

 social values. 



