This book is organized around the theme of the quality of life. It seeks to define what a social problem is and then address specific issues.

1. How can one gain a sociological understanding of social problems?
2. What kind of critical thinking should one engage in and what kind should one avoid in order to attempt to understand problems?
3. How is the quality of one's life affected by particular problems?
4. What causes these problems and how can we resolve them?

In Part One, the author lays the groundwork by establishing key approaches to social problems. The remaining sections discuss the social problems which most acutely influence our lives, and examine each problem for its impact on the quality of our lives.