Destabilizing Condition

From UVA Writing Center

The Destabilizing Condition is the problem that upsets the Status Quo, or shared common ground between the writer and the audience. Along with the Consequences, the Destabilizing Condition is the core of the problem statement.

Take the two example status quos:

• "Since YouTube came online and made it possible for regular people to create and share video content on the World Wide Web, the face of the Internet has rapidly changed."

In this case, the problem destabilizing the status quo might be something like:

      But this technology has also made it possible for copyrighted content to be illegally aired, which has made
      YouTube beloved by users, but despised by large media companies.

• "Advances in genome technology has allowed science to map the human DNA, and they are now mapping one of our closest ancestors, the Neanderthal."

In this case, the problem destabilizing the status quo could be:

      However, proving Neanderthals share DNA with modern humans presents some significant problems for both evolutionary
      scientists who argue for modern humans' exclusivity, and creationists who deny evolution.

Hint: Destabilizing Conditions often begin with a 'But' or 'However' statement.