Looking Back--A 25-Year Review and Appraisal of Social Problems Research

Abstract

The past quarter-century of research in social problems has been marked by a considerable broadening of analytic perspective. This is evident within each of the various specialized fields of social problems research. It is evident, too, in the increasing recognition of the interconnectedness of social problems, both in their underlying conditions and in their consequences. Yet, the methodological rigor of research in social problems still falls short of the best work in the behavioral sciences, and we still fail to take advantage of many opportunities for fruitful inquiry. Some of the principal opportunities are to be found in the analysis of the psychological impact of social structure, in cross-national research, in the analysis of social and individual change, in analysis of the interaction of social and other conditions, and in research on intervention.