Redefining Social Problems

The editors argue that social problems are not objective facts waiting to be solved but constructions whose framing determines what solutions appear possible. Seidman and Rappaport write in their introductory chapter that how a problem is formulated has a powerful impact on how it is addressed—indeed whether it is addressed at all . Redefining a problem can engage new stakeholders, suggest interventions that were previously invisible, and shift responsibility from individuals to structures. The volume demonstrates this thesis across domains: crime is reframed as stress rather than deviance, burnout as a rational response to institutional contradictions rather than individual maladaptation, and loneliness in late life as a myth rather than a demographic reality. The book's distinctive contribution is treating redefinition not as rhetorical flourish but as a substantive intervention in itself.

Weick's chapter, 'Small Wins: Redefining the Scale of Social Issues,' argues that large social problems become tractable when broken into smaller, concrete, winnable steps. The mechanism is psychological and strategic: small wins attract allies, reduce resistance, and generate momentum that large-scale reform proposals cannot. This fits the volume's central thesis because it is fundamentally an argument about framing: the scale at which a problem is defined determines whether people believe they can act on it. Weick's framework has since become widely cited in organizational theory and social innovation literature. In the context of this volume, it exemplifies the editors' claim that redefinition is not evasion but a necessary condition for effective action.

Rappaport's chapter is a reprint of his influential 1981 article arguing for empowerment as a social policy alternative to prevention. Its inclusion in this volume is deliberate: the article is itself an act of redefinition. It reframes the goal of community psychology from preventing pathology to empowering people to gain control over their lives. The paradox in the title refers to the tension between professional expertise and community self-determination—a tension that cannot be resolved but must be lived with. Placing this argument alongside chapters on crime, burnout, and desegregation demonstrates that the empowerment framework is not abstract theory but a lens applicable across substantive domains. The volume thus positions Rappaport's article as both a contribution to and an exemplar of the book's redefinition thesis.

The volume covers an unusually wide range of substantive areas, reflecting the editors' ambition to demonstrate the redefinition thesis across domains. Chapters address: social problem solving in social action (Sarason), small wins (Weick), injustice (Kidder and Fine), women as a social problem (Henley), Black families (Scott-Jones and Nelson-Le Gall), Black women leaders (Smith), loneliness in late life (Revenson), empowerment over prevention (Rappaport), child custody determination (Girdner), crime as stress (Lewis and Riger), criminal justice interventions (Roesch and Foisy), burnout (Cherniss), justice and values in social science (Seidman), court-ordered school desegregation (Linney), indirect effects of desegregation (Scott), and ethnic minority research (Zane and Sue) . This range demonstrates that problem framing operates across policy arenas and populations.

Norman Miller's review in Contemporary Psychology (1988) noted that readers would not find a simple overarching solution to social problems; instead, their perception would become broader and more complex rather than simplified . He praised the book's sponsorship by the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, observing that it meshes with the society's aim of bringing intellectual analysis—not ideology per se—to social issues. Miller highlighted that the volume contains chapters questioning not only whether social science should concern itself with social problems but also the relevance of that question itself . The review suggests the volume succeeds as a provocation to think more carefully about problem construction, rather than as a source of definitive answers.

Redefining Social Problems sits at the midpoint of Rappaport's career, connecting his early applied work on chronic patients and college volunteers to his later theoretical elaboration of empowerment and narrative. The volume's thesis—that problem definitions are consequential and can be changed—anticipates his narrative framework, where stories are the medium through which problems are constructed and contested. The inclusion of 'In Praise of Paradox' makes the connection explicit: empowerment is a redefinition of community psychology's mission, from preventing pathology to promoting self-determination. Later work on community narratives extends this logic by examining how stories shape what problems are visible and what solutions are imaginable. The volume is thus a key transitional text in Rappaport's development.