The research materials of Sergey Aleksandrovich Kravchenko - Soviet and Russian sociologist, PhD, professor, Maxim M. Kovalevsky Prize laureate - which focused on the diagnostic approach in recognizing such topical social issues as risks, vulnerabilities, and a crisis of trust, are discussed in the article. The attention is paid to the consideration of the features of the diagnostic approach and its differences from the traditional study. The advantages of the diagnosis as a method for sociological studying of social problems are shown.