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Sixty years ago an American sociologist made a distinction between 'private troubles' and 'public issues'. His theory was that despite there being many 'troubles' or 'problems' that individuals may experience in their lives, not all of these always emerge as 'public issues' which attract general interest, or are seen as requiring public responses or even action. Personal troubles are seen as 'private' and are handled within households, families or maybe even small communities. On the other hand, 'public issues' are dealt with publicly, through forms of social intervention or regulation, for example. One factor that distinguishes whether issues or problems are perceived as private or public is number. If only a few people experience some form of trouble, then it is highly likely to remain a private matter; whereas when a large number of people begin to experience this same trouble it will quite possibly become a public issue.
