The Problem Statement

The problem statement deals with how to formulate your introduction to both reveal a problem and propose a way to fix it. It includes an optional prelude, common ground, destabilizing condition, costs or consequences, and a resolution. The prelude can be anything from a quote that supports or exposes an issue that you will talk about in the paper to a quick statement of reflection to get the reader thinking. The common ground is the shared understanding that the problem will interrupt, it is the part of the reader's knowledge that is relevant to the paper. The destabilizing condition is the predicament that causes pain, unhappiness, loss or it is a question that the reader needs to know/understand but does not. 

The costs/consequences are just what the name suggests; they are whatever negative things come from the problem. Finally, the resolution is the solution that alleviates or mitigates the cost for the reader. 

In class, when we first started working on problem statements, it took me a long time to come up with something to write. This was probably the hardest concept for me to grasp. Before, when I wrote my papers, I would expose the problem in the introduction and, throughout the paper, I would include the costs and consequences. Finally, in the conclusion, I would include my proposed resolution. However, after learning this new "formula" for the introduction, it made sense why it was effective, the reader knows exactly what they are going to be reading. 

Here is an example of my Paper 3 completed problem statement. It took a lot of revisions and rewrites to get there, but I think that I finally understand the concept of problem statements!

“Until we all learn to recognize and reject these harmful messages about what it means to look like a woman, we all lose. And we don’t want to lose” (Beauty Redefined).

Advertisements play a key role in life nowadays. It would be nearly impossible to go one hour, let alone one day without seeing one. Many advertisement agencies use beauty and sex appeal to sell their goods. So, how is society’s perception of beauty different due to the content of advertisements? These ads have not just given us an ideal for what to look like, they have fundamentally altered the way people feel about themselves and their looks. While flipping through a magazine or television channels, we are bombarded with constant ads featuring tall, skinny, and beautiful models wearing designer clothes. People believe that these ads are representations of how a beautiful person should look. However, as seen in Appendix A, these ads are relentlessly edited and noticeably alter the model or actress’s appearance. Society has a skewed perspective of beauty because of the unrealistic standards that advertising agencies present.