People generally understand social problems as some sort of pathology experienced by individuals. This approaches to understanding social problems is what Eitzen calls the person-blame approach.
This approach tends to assume that universal norms exist. Behavior is deviant depending on how much it strays from these norms.
Most people define a social problem as behavior that deviates from the norms and standards of society.
The system is not only taken for granted; it has, for most people, an aura of sacredness because of traditions and customs they associate with the system.
From the person-blame approach, those who deviate are seen as the source of trouble. The obvious question observers ask is, why do these people deviate from norms? Because most people view themselves as law abiding, they feel those who deviate do so because of some kind of unusual circumstances: accidents, illness, personal defect, character flaw, or maladjustment. For example, a person-blamer might argue that a poor person is poor because he or she is not bright enough to succeed. In other words, the deviant is the cause of his or her own problem.
The following are examples of perspectives that replay on person-blame approaches.