6.5. Chapter Summary
The terms social pathology and social problem are often
interchangeably used. They refer to the diseased
conditions of society. As the physical body suffers from
various ailments, the society as a system also suffers
from various pathologies that threaten its proper
functioning and very existence. Sociologists prefer to
use “social problems’ to “social pathologies”.
Problems that are limited to an individual’s psychological
dimension or micro level social groups may not
constitute social problems per se although they are the
manifestation of the diseased conditions of society.
Some social problems have universal or global nature
and others are tied to a society’s level of economic and
technological development, history, ecology, socio-
political and cultural set-up. Some social problems are
thus more rampant in industrialized societies and others
prevail in less industrialized societies.