social pathology

American  

noun

1. a social factor, as poverty, old age, or crime, that tends to increase social disorganization and inhibit personal adjustment.

2. the study of such factors and the social problems they produce.

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Example Sentences

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

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

The movie is steeped in individual as well as social pathology.

From New York Times

As headmaster, he believed that discipline instilled morality, helping to fend off the “social pathology” that his son warned about decades later.

From The New Yorker

Virtually every measure of social pathology continues to gain ground.

From Slate