Constructionist theory describes and analyzes social problems as emerging through the efforts of claimsmakers who bring issues to public attention. These claims inevitably typify the problem, characterizing it as a problem of a particular sort. In turn, such typifications shape the ways in which policymakers and the public respond to the claims. Like the widely adopted first edition, this new edition of Images of Issues explores the nature of typification and its consequences.

The second edition is addressed to claimsmaking in the 1990s. It features ten all-new chapters on such current issues as fathers' rights, stalking, sexual abuse by the clergy, hate crimes, multicultural education, and factory farming. Most of the chapters that appeared in the first edition have been substantially revised and updated, including the afterword, which contains an expanded discussion of the theoretical debate over constructionism.

The chapters are organized around important themes: the nature of claims; the roles of claimsmakers; connections among claimsmaking campaigns; and the impact of claims on social policy.