Social Pathologies: Is the Social Pedagogue the Key to Alleviating and Combating Social Pathologies?

Introduction

The appearance of COVID-19 at the end of 2019 turned the world ‘upside down’. This invisible enemy of humans exposed many weaknesses in the various political systems where too much was taken for granted. For example, traditional education was changed to either ‘home education’ or ‘distance education’. The ‘face-to-face’ socialising factor changed to a ‘social media’ factor. Existing social pathologies became more obvious, and new ones were added to such an extent that it was difficult to differentiate between a medical and a social pathology since the one fed the other. It became a question of ‘which came first: the chicken or the egg?’ Does a social pathology lead to a medical one or the reverse? They say we cannot change something that we cannot control. Having said that, what do we do about things we can control? For example, while we hope that the discovery of the vaccine will make a difference, what we do to prevent the spread of the virus is something that is within our control.

This chapter will attempt to explain social pathologies and how through early intervention, the impact of such pathologies could be minimised. Since social pathologies are directly related to existing social and political systems, it is logical to assume that these different pathologies are manifested in other countries. In this chapter, the various social pathologies that exist in South Africa are highlighted. The multi-cultural nature of South Africa, a democratic country that emerged after the fall of apartheid, is a good example of the multifaceted nature of social pathologies where concepts that appear to be so similar and that are used interchangeably (e.g. democracy, freedom and equality) could paradoxically be in opposition to one another. This problem necessitates a multi-disciplinary approach to social pathologies. Therefore, a philosophical, psychological and a pragmatic approach is used.

The structure of the chapter is as follows:

• 1.

  A background discussion is presented that debates the following:

  • a.

    What are social pathologies and their causes?

  • b.

    What are the roles of social pathology and pedagogy in combatting social pathologies?

• 2.

  The questions regarding the role of a social pedagogue, the possible interventions that can be designed to minimise the impact of such pathologies and the preventative measures that can be taken are considered.

• 3.

  Solutions are discussed and recommendations are made.