Towards a Theory of Interest Claims in Constructing Social Problems

Patrick Archer

doi:10.18778/1733-8077.11.2.04

Authors

Patrick Archer St. Ambrose University, U.S.A.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/1733-8077.11.2.04

Keywords:

Social Construction, Social Problems, Interests, Claims, Paternalism

Abstract

In Constructing Social Problems, Spector and Kitsuse initiated a constructionist approach to the study of social problems that would emphasize processes of definition over objective conditions. Despite this emphasis on a different subject matter, the social problems moniker was retained and continues to frame the constructionist study of claims-making. This paper contests the centrality of the social problems concept to the constructionist perspective and proposes a shift in theoretical emphasis from constructions of problematic conditions to constructions of actors’ interests. I use the term “interest claims” to describe assertions of what is advantageous or beneficial to certain people or groups, and use a brief case study of claims made by a school board and a group of parents to delineate the difference between paternalistic (“their” best interests) and proprietary (“our” best interests) claims-making activities. Finally, I argue for the inclusion of claims-maker interests and motivations in the study of interest claims and claims-making.

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Author Biography

Patrick Archer, St. Ambrose University, U.S.A.

Patrick Archer is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa. He received his Ph.D. from Iowa State University. His research and teaching interests are in the areas of social psychology, social stratification, and the construction of social problems.

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