Societal Attitudes towards Risk: A Critical Analysis of Clark's Article

This article critically analyzes Clark's article on societal attitudes towards risk. It explores the identification of risks and the mitigating factors that help maintain balance in society. The article discusses the adaptability of human behavior and the different tools and models of adaptability that influence change in the structure of society. The proper understanding of risk assessment steps and the identification of levels of risks help maintain mitigating factors that help nations curb out risks.

Running head: RISK ASSESSMENT
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Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

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Part A
Societal attitudes towards Risk
Introduction
Risk is a problem of the people and the assessment of the same depends on the perception
of the dimensions through which it can be stated. However, Clark (1980) stated in the article
“Witches, floods, and wonder drugs: historical perspectives on risk management” that the risk
that is faced by the society is based on the perception of the people and the manner in which their
inability to cope up with the situations of the world affects their livelihood.
The assessment of the risk is based on the uncertainties that are faced by the people and
the manner in which the risk can be mitigated in this connection. The identification of the level
of risk and the manner in which the mitigating factors helps in maintaining the balance. I believe
the very name of the article helps in understanding the identification of the risk and the
systematic processes that acts and mitigation devices for undermining the effects of the risk. The
key element of the risks that is faced by the people, living in the society, is not based on the
understanding of the uncertainties that are faced by the people.
The purpose of undertaking this discussion depends on exploring the various aspects of
the risk that is stated in the article “Witches, floods, and wonder drugs: historical perspectives
on risk management” and thereby critically analyze the different aspects of the modifications
that are required to be taken by the society to bring inn changes in the situation.
Discussion

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The identification of the risks that are faced by the society and the manner in which the
risk can be mitigated has helped in influencing the concern of the society to bring in changes in
the existing systems. Clark (1980) stated, “As the true magnitude of the witch problem became
more apparent, the Church enlisted the Inquisition, an applied institution specifically designed to
address pressing social concerns.” The historical perspective of the risk and the manner in which
the risk can be managed by the authorities of the society is reflected through the statement.
However, there are various ingrains to the societal changes based on the identification of the
various uncertainties. I think that the unethical considerations and the different levels of
malpractices have affected the society and have given rise to the different levels of risks.
The identification of the risks and thereby the enumeration of the mitigating factors forms
the basic research point bon which the article by Clark (1980) is based. The lines, “Witches
remained an individualized risk, requiring individual responses by individual members of the
Church and lay communities.” portrayed that the authorities of the society or Churches do not
regard the concept of the witches in the micro levels. It affected the mitigating factors that
influenced the changes in the structure and the functioning of the authorities as per the societal
needs. The identification of the risks in the individual levels and thereby reconnecting its impact
on the society has helped in bringing in the functions of the mitigating factors. On the other
hand, the identification of the different aspects of the change is based on the understanding of the
risk that is faced by the people through their constant involvements in the processes that are
planned by the different units.
The article has developed a differentiation between the traditional and the modernized
concepts of controlling the risks in the society, which is evident through the lines- “Modern risk
assessors do not incinerate their fellow citizens. Furthermore, they seek to insure against milder

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forms of witch hunting by a scientific approach to gathering and evaluating evidence on risk
issues.” The lines have helped me in understanding the proper functioning of the different
aspects of the change in the society. The identification of the different aspects of the risks and the
manner in which it can be resolved scientifically has helped in enhancing the different aspects of
the change in the society. The manner in which the risks can be mitigated as per the requirements
of the society is based on the understanding of the level of risk that is faced by the society. The
assessment of the risks in the micro and macro levels has helped in undertaking the basic
changes based on the requirements of the people to cope up with the risks through the mitigating
factors. The different factor that affects the functioning of the authorities is based on the
assessment of the risks and the manner in which it can be mitigated. It has helped in developing
the different change cultures in the society and the manner in which the risks can be mitigated.
Clark (1980) stated that the resource management has helped in understanding the value
of the different insights and the manner in which the resources can be utilized to bring in changes
in the systems of the risk assessment strategies that are framed by the institutions in the society. I
interpreted from the reading that the major aspects of the change are based on the understanding
of the needs of the society to bring in transitions in the processes that are planned by the same to
bring in sustenance in its respective functions. The resource management of the society is based
on the understanding of the needs of the society to bring in changes in the functions. On the other
hand, the identification of the needs of the society to bring in changes to cope up with the
strategies has helped in understanding the value of the change in the structure and the
functioning of the risk assessors. “The dual character of "risk" is again apparent.” – the
identification of the dual aspects of the risk and the manner in which it is to be mitigated is
dependent on the investigation of the level of the risk that is faced by the society. the different

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aspects of the uncertainty that is faced by the society has helped in identifying the various
aspects of the change based on the identification of the chief resources that can be brought to use
to cope up with the uncertainties in the societal structure. The identification of the different risks
at the micro levels and the manner in which it can be managed in the same levels helps in
assessing the risk and thereby bring in changes to the systems in the macro level.
Clark (1980) stated, “Anthropological studies have shown that pre-industrial "folk"
societies adjust to such environmental risks largely through modifications in human behavior.” It
has helped in the understanding of the adaptability of the humans living in the society to the
change in the systems and the risks. The identification of the different tools and models of
adaptability of the people living in the society has helped in enumerating the different aspects of
the change in the society and the culture that influences the change in the structure of the society.
To me, the major aspects of the change in the structure of the society are based on the
understanding of the level of the risk and the manner in which it can be mitigated through the
systematic and scientific calculations. It helps in maintaining the levels of the risks that are faced
by the society and controlling the same in the market.
The article enumerates the different cases of the risks that are faced by the regions of the
world and the manner in which the nations devised strategies. The strategies helped the nations
to bring in the change in the structure and the functioning of the instruments to control and divert
the situations of the risk to the different other segments. The proper understanding of the tools
that are implemented by the nations has helped in identifying the various aspects of the change
that is undertaken by the societies in the present world and the manner in which they adhere to
the risk assessment steps to bring in changes in the systems. The major understanding of the risk
assessment systems and the manner in which they can be implemented on the risks has helped in

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bringing in potential changes in the society. The identification of the level of uncertainties and
the manner in which the major aspects of the change can be undertaken helps in the proper
functioning of the risk assessment and management systems that are implemented by the
authorities of the nation.
Conclusion
Therefore, from the above discussion it can be stated that the proper understanding of the
risk assessment steps and identification of the levels of risks helps in maintaining the mitigating
factors that helps nations to curb out the risks. On the other hand, the different situations and the
adaptability of the human behaviors have helped in maintaining the equilibrium of the risks that
are faced by the society.

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References
Clark, W.C., 1980. Witches, floods, and wonder drugs: historical perspectives on risk
management. In Societal Risk Assessment (pp. 287-318). Springer, Boston, MA.