Cause and Effect Essay Examples for College, Perfect Guide for You

Filed in Education by on April 13, 2021

Cause and Effect Essay: This is another common essay type, either as an essay type on its own or as part of a larger essay which includes one or more paragraphs examining causes and effects.

Cause and Effect Essay Examples for College

This article gives information on what a cause and effect essay is, how to structure this type of essay, and how to use cause and effect structure words for this type of essay.

What are Cause & Effect Essays?

A cause and effect essay looks at the reasons (or causes) for something, then discusses the results (or effects). Also, this essay is sometimes referred to as a reason and result essay.

Furthermore, it is one of the most common forms of organization in academic writing. Also, sometimes the whole essay will be cause and effect. Additionally, this essay is concerned with why things happen (causes) and what happens as a result (effects).

Also, it is a common method of organizing and discussing ideas. And it explores how this event or situation came into being (the “cause”) and what is happening because of this event or situation (the “effect”). In other words, it explores the “why” or “how” of a situation.

A basic cause and effect essay structure would look like this:

  1. Introduction: Describe the event or situation your essay will explore. Include your thesis statement, which may focus on what you think is the main cause or effect of the event or situation.
  2. Body Paragraphs (Causes): Start with what you feel is the main cause of the event, providing evidence to back up your argument. Then, follow with describing secondary causes.
  3. Body Paragraphs (Effects): Just as with the causes, here you’ll start with the biggest or most important effect of the situation. Again, provide evidence to back up your argument. Subsequent paragraphs can then discuss other effects worth noting.
  4. Conclusion: Reiterate your thesis statement and summarize the main points of your essay, showing how they support your thesis.

Cause and Effect Essay Examples One

Prompt: Homelessness

The following example of a cause and effect essay illustrates how this basic structure plays out in practice. Be sure to check out our other essay examples for more guidance as well.

The homeless epidemic is a serious problem in nearly every major city across the country. According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, there are over 500,000 people experiencing homelessness on any given night.

It’s a difficult challenge to tackle precisely because it is so multi-faceted, both in terms of its causes and its far-reaching effects. Homelessness affects not only the people who must struggle to survive on the street but also the business owners or residents in the neighborhoods.

Petty crime and drug abuse are common. While many factors have contributed to the rise in homeless rates, one of the most profound is the lack of adequate social support services.

By definition, a homeless person is someone without a permanent home. They may seek shelter in parking garages, ATM vestibules, and subway stations. On a purely practical level, if a city can provide enough homeless shelters and other forms of affordable housing, the people who would otherwise sleep on the streets can sleep far more safely with a consistent roof over their heads.

Social support services, whether they are funded publicly or privately, would be able to tackle many of the immediate and long-term challenges that face people experiencing homelessness.

In addition to providing adequate and reliable shelter, services like drug counseling, treatment for physical or emotional abuse, and career counseling can address some of the factors that lead to homelessness.

The individual stories of each person going through homelessness will vary. What is often found, though, is that the homelessness came about because of a series of events.

A person may unexpectedly lose their job, which may lead to family problems at home, which may lead to drug abuse as a coping mechanism, which may lead to further financial stress, and so on. Appropriate social services at any point in this process may be able to prevent homelessness from becoming this person’s reality.

The effects of homelessness are equally complex and can be mirror images of the root causes. Because the person is experiencing homelessness, this may put a profound strain on personal relationships.

Examples Two

Drug abuse can become an issue, as the person seeks some way of coping with the pain and hardship of living on the streets. This leads to a downward spiral that drives the person deeper and deeper into the depths of crippling poverty and isolation.

The impact extends well beyond the individual, too. As homelessness becomes an increasingly visible issue in a neighborhood, home values can plummet. Middle and working-class families may move out, providing a bigger opening for various forms of crime. Businesses may close as the area becomes too prone to theft and property crime.

Every city, every neighborhood faces unique challenges when it comes to homelessness. While the specific root causes can vary between individuals, the lack of adequate social services is a leading contributor.

The right social services can address, reduce, or even remove some of these other underlying causes. With powerful effects for both the individual and society at large, homelessness is a pressing issue and one that must be approached with tact and compassion.

Examples Two

Prompt: Effects of Video Game Addiction

Video game addiction is a serious problem in many parts of the world today and deserves more attention. It is no secret that children and adults in many countries throughout the world, including Japan, China, and the United States, play video games every day.

Most players can limit their usage in ways that do not interfere with their daily lives, but many others have developed an addiction to playing video games and suffer detrimental effects.

An addiction can be described in several ways, but generally speaking, addictions involve unhealthy attractions to substances or activities that ultimately disrupt the ability of a person to keep up with regular daily responsibilities.

Video game addiction typically involves playing games uncontrollably for many hours at a time—some people will play only four hours at a time while others cannot stop for over twenty-four hours. Regardless of the severity of the addiction, many of the same effects will be experienced by all.

One common effect of video game addiction is isolation and withdrawal from social experiences. Video game players often hide in their homes or Internet cafés for days at a time—only reemerging for the most pressing tasks and necessities.

The effect of this isolation can lead to a breakdown of communication skills and often a loss in socialization. While it is true that many games, especially massively multiplayer online games, involve a very real form of e-based communication and coordination with others, and these virtual interactions often result in real communities that can be healthy for the players, these communities and forms of communication rarely translate to the types of valuable social interaction that humans need to maintain typical social functioning.

As a result, social networking in these online games often gives the users the impression that they are interacting socially, while their true social lives and personal relations may suffer.

Another unfortunate product of the isolation that often accompanies video game addiction is the disruption of the user’s career. While many players manage to enjoy video games and still hold their jobs without problems, others experience challenges at their workplace.

Some may only experience warnings or demerits as a result of poorer performance, or others may end up losing their jobs altogether. Playing video games for extended periods often involves sleep deprivation, and this tends to carry over to the workplace, reducing production and causing habitual tardiness.

Video game addiction may result in a decline in overall health and hygiene. Players who interact with video games for such significant amounts of time can go an entire day without eating and even longer without basic hygiene tasks, such as using the restroom or bathing. The effects of this behavior pose a significant danger to their overall health.

The causes of video game addiction are complex and can vary greatly, but the effects have the potential to be severe. Playing video games can and should be a fun activity for all to enjoy. But just like everything else, the amount of time one spends playing video games needs to be balanced with personal and social responsibilities.

Some topics that you may have considered for other types of essays can be adapted to cause and effect essays too. Just remember that you may want to avoid certain essay topics if you want to stand out! Remember to share this with your friends on social media thanks

CSN Team.

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