Functionalism, Conflict Theory and Symbolic Interactionism
Functionalism views homelessness as a social problem with dysfunctional and functional elements. The former includes several economic issues, and the latter involves increased social compassion and awareness and job-creation.
For the conflict theory, homelessness is the concomitant factor of capitalism. Under this theory, many members of society believe that wealth must be achieved through education, hard work, and extra effort. Therefore, homeless people are perceived as unmotivated, uneducated, lazy, and willing to get care from others.
The interactionist perspective studies how homeless people interact daily and how these understandings and interactions influence the way other people perceive them.
Sociological Imagination
According to sociological imagination, homelessness is a problem that interconnects public and personal concerns. In other words, homeless people are victims of both their own shortcomings and adverse global circumstances. For instance, it is possible to blame persons living on the streets for their situation as most of them likely made bad choices that lately influenced their lives. Some people consider homeless individuals unmotivated and unwilling to work and link their problems to these qualities or their past decision of not getting an education. However, several societal obstacles and factors can also lead to homelessness, namely, lack of family support, high housing costs, unemployment, and bad schools.
Attitudes and Behaviors Regarding Homelessness
Overall, since public awareness is growing every year, attitudes towards homelessness are becoming more positive. Societies begin to realize that the growth of homelessness is partly their fault, and it is also their responsibility not to let this issue get worse. However, there are still many people who consider persons living on the streets to be drug addicts, alcoholics, lazy, dangerous, violent, and criminals. Some also believe that living such a life is a choice, and these persons only want to take advantage of the system and decent members of society. There are many more people who got rid of such prejudices, but these negative stereotypes still hurt the homeless.
The Role of Culture
Elements of culture have a significant influence on how people view homelessness. For example, social norms dictate people how to behave in the presence of others, but those who live on the streets rarely adhere to them. Moreover, not every individual will want to shake hands with a homeless person because of personal hygiene or uncertainty about whether the homeless person wants this. Thus, the fact that few social norms work with homelessness makes the society develop negative attitudes. Further, another element of culture – customs, is not followed by such people as well. This makes them even more disconnected from other people.
Global Attitudes and Behaviors
Certainly, there are people in other countries who continue perceiving such persons as a personal threat. However, global perceptions also change for the better, and there are many resources available for the homeless. For example, the Institute of Global Homelessness, founded in 2014, became the first organization focused on this problem as a severe global phenomenon. Since such programs are implemented by a worldwide effort, it can be assumed that they are better organized and more efficient than in the United States. It should also be noticed that the U.S. takes part in numerous global initiatives aimed at eliminating homelessness.
Agents of Socialization
Some agents of socialization, including the media, the family, and peer groups, usually impress certain social norms upon a person. Therefore, they also influence one’s perception of homelessness and contribute to the development of this problem. For instance, it is common for the media to underrepresent the severity of this social issue and make an insufficient contribution to its coverage and solution. Next, family breakdowns or lack of care from relatives can make a person lose their home and start living on the streets. Finally, peer groups may sometimes negatively affect one’s attitude towards homeless people as many persons, especially teenagers, are easily influenced by their friends’ opinions.
Deviance
Homeless people may be considered both deviants and non-deviants. On the one hand, many persons who live on the streets participate in drug use, alcohol abuse, and major or minor crimes, which are undoubtedly deviant behaviors. They typically do not follow the social norms and goals and have entirely different lifestyles, and it is diverging from accepted standards that is considered deviance. On the other hand, even those homeless individuals who use drugs or drink too much alcohol are damaged people who face many obstacles and have to live in an unhealthy environment. They are victims who need help but not deviants to be afraid of.
Related Problems
Homelessness itself is not as severe as numerous additional issues it can cause. To begin with, people who live on the streets are not protected from unhealthy factors, bad weather, cold, and infections, and they also eat less and have fewer personal care products than required. Therefore, many of them develop chronic illnesses that make their situation even worse. Various lung diseases, AIDS, HIV, malnutrition, PTSD, and skin infections are common for the homeless. What is more, since drugs and alcohol are their ways to feel better in such circumstances, many of them develop strong addictions and substance use problems.
Cape Coral Initiatives
To solve the issue and help homeless people, it is essential to make sure that every city, state, and country do their best to make a significant contribution. However, this is not happening yet. For example, in my area, the media reports the lack of reliable and influential movements and resources to make the lives of homeless people easier. In Cape Coral, Florida, most homeless citizens have to hide in the shadows. According to NBC2 News, Cape Coral does not “house even one homeless shelter to take care of what is becoming a growing population” (para. 3). To get a shelter or any help, homeless people need to go to the closest cities, including Fort Myers or Bonita Springs.
Research Method
To study this population, I would choose non-participant observation and interviews as the most useful and effective research methods. Observing the behaviors of homeless people, other citizens’ attitudes towards them, and the overall interaction between these two social groups would allow gaining an understanding of the homeless. Further, I would conduct interviews with both activists of programs and initiatives against homelessness and people living on the streets. Their honest answers to several questions and some insights would play a crucial role in studying this population.
Work Cited
NBC2 News. “NBC2 Investigates: Homelessness in Cape Coral is Costing Taxpayers.”NBC2, 2020, Web.