social pathology
Americannoun
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a social factor, as poverty, old age, or crime, that tends to increase social disorganization and inhibit personal adjustment.
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the study of such factors and the social problems they produce.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One of the more disturbing rat experiments discussed is a study of the effects of crowding on the development of social pathology.
From New York Times • Oct. 31, 2022
The challenge is to make sure that the winners aren’t winning by extracting their gains in a way that creates a social pathology that’s bad for everyone.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 28, 2022
Virtually every measure of social pathology continues to gain ground.
From Slate • Nov. 18, 2019
It is not a matter of particular acts of cruelty or violence, specific forms of social pathology, or this or that person who has made a disastrous choice.
From The New Yorker • Jun. 12, 2017
It must be remarked, in the first place, that while revolution and evolution are normal functions of social physiology, rebellion and individual violence are symptoms of social pathology.
From Socialism and Modern Science (Darwin, Spencer, Marx) by La Monte, Robert Rives
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
