Sociological Problem and Social Problem: Contributions to a Discussion

The creation of a scientific object constructed by a theoretical framework that shapes the view of Sociology as a science and that translates into a sociological problem is one of the vital stages of sociological knowledge. However, both literature and our experience in teaching Sociology in programmes that train future sociologists, as well as in other training programmes, demonstrate that there is often some confusion and difficulty in distinguishing sociological problem from social problem. In this reflection, which is based on a perspective from Portugal – where the authors teach and carry out research –, necessarily open to debate considering all the risks that this kind of analysis entails, we aim to put forward our stance on the topic of the relationship between sociological problem and social problem.