Defining the Problem

The first step in any sociological research project is to state as clearly as possible what you hope to investigate. In beginning their work on homeless­ness, a team of sociologists headed by David Snow—and also including Susan Baker, Leon Anderson, and Michael Martin—considered the question of who the homeless are. While news reports agree that today's homeless are, indeed, a more varied group than the residents of tradi­tional skid row districts, the researchers learned that the mass media present the homeless primar­ily as mentally ill. For example, an essay in Time suggested that, even by a conservative estimate, a majority of homeless persons are "near either psychosis or stupor" (Krauthammer, 1985:103). Interested in this topic, Snow and his colleagues had to address the problem of moving from a vague topic of interest to a more specific area of investigation. They developed a research-able question: "How representative is the media image of the homeless?" Is it accurate to view the homeless person as an "incompetent, conversa­tionally incoherent, occasionally menacing, and institutionally dependent 'crazy' " (Snow et al., 1986:408)?

Early in their research, these sociologists faced the task of developing an operational definition of mental illness. An operational definition is an explanation of an abstract concept that is specific enough to allow a researcher to measure it. For

example, a sociologist interested in status might use membership in exclusive social clubs or pro­fessional organizations as an operational defini­tion of high status. A sociologist who intended to examine prejudice might rely on responses to a series of questions concerning willingness to hire or work alongside members of racial and ethnic minority groups.

Whenever researchers want to study an ab­stract concept—such as intelligence, sexuality, prejudice, love, or liberalism—they must develop workable and valid operational definitions. In this study of homelessness. sociologists needed to develop an operational definition of mental ill­ness. They classified homeless persons as men­tally ill "if they had contact with one or more mental health agencies and were simultaneously diagnosed by agency personnel as having one or more mental health problems" (Snow et al., 1986:412). Diagnosis was based on criteria estab­lished by the American Psychiatric Association; consequently, the sociological research team was employing a generally accepted definition.

A sociologist's approach to a research problem is often influenced by his or her theoretical orien­tation. Thus, functionalists would view the pres­ence of the homeless in American cities as the re­sult of institutional or social policies. Conflict theorists would wish to determine if the media image of homeless persons as mentally ill serves to disguise the inadequacy of government assist­ance programs by suggesting that these troubled people would be unable to make use of suitable employment and housing opportunities. Interac-tionists would assess the ways in which social serv­ice agencies and mental health centers relate to those homeless individuals and families who come to their attention.