World around us today are filled with problems, complications, and dilemmas. People faces problems in everyday life, but problems that people living in the same society face commonly are called social problems. Before discussing social problems in our society, we must first give criteria of how we define social problems. Firstly, the objective condition must be perceived to be a social problem publicly. That is, there must be some public outcry. People must become actively involved in discussing the problem and finding solution to solve the problem. Public attention becomes directed toward that social condition. Second, the condition must involve a gap between social ideals and social reality. That is, the condition must run counter to the values of the larger society. Thirdly, a significant proportion of the population must be involved in defining the problem. That is, large proportion of the population must be concerned about the condition. Lastly, the condition must be capable of solution through collective action by people. If no there seems to be no solution possible, people will resign themselves and must live with it.
Moreover, even though the criteria above are all met for certain conditions, there are also other factors that will determine the degree of how important this problem is. First of all, If people affected by a condition are influential, or powerful, the condition is more likely to be considered a social problem than if those affected are not influential. When a condition begins to affect the white middle class, particularly those able to influence government policy, or the content of the mass media, the chances of it being considered a social problem increase substantially. If the condition effecting only a small segment of the population, then it is not likely to be a social problem, when comparing with a condition that is effecting a larger segment of the population, as well as the increasing number of