Means of Social Control in Society | Citizenship Education and Community Engagement

 

Describe the means of social control in society.

Course: Citizenship Education and Community Engagement

Course code 8606

Level: B.Ed Solved Assignment

ANSWER

Definition

Social Control refers to societal and political mechanisms or processes that regulate individual and group behavior, leading to conformity and compliance to the rules of a given society, state, or social group. It is how members of a society attempt to induce each other to comply with societal norms. Social controls influence behavior constantly because they are internalized and come into play every time a person has a deviant impulse.

Social control is the general method of regulating the behavior of individuals in society through accepted social norms. It is a way to channel the behavior of individuals in a society so that they conform to the accepted code of conduct. Social control is defined as “how the entire social order coheres and maintains itself, operates as a whole, as changing equilibrium”.

This Social control refers to the way society controls our behavior, either through norms and practices or through the state and its compelling force. The regulation of behavior in society, whether of individuals or of groups is undertaken in two ways:

a)  By adhering to established norms and values of society; and

b)  By the use of force.

The term “social control” is generally used by sociologists to refer to this first kind of regulation. Individuals differ in their interests and capacities. If each individual is allowed unrestricted freedom to act and behave, it may lead to anarchy and disorder in society. The resultant conflicts, frequent and persistent, would be a constant drain on society’s energy and efficiency.

As an analogy, we could consider traffic movement on roads in the absence of any traffic rules and traffic signals, etc. It is easy to imagine the chaos that would rule the roads and the unending traffic jams that would follow. If we add to it the frustration of the drivers and their heated tempers, it is easy to understand that the end result is totally undesirable. The fact that traffic rules help to maintain order and efficient movement of vehicles is only due to the presence of control.

Purpose of Social Control

Sociologists attribute many purposes to social control. The aim of social control is to bring about conformity in a particular group or society. At times, out of sheer ignorance, individuals could act in a manner that may or may not benefit them. But certainly, society’s interests lie at the collective level. There are other situations when the individual is perfectly aware of the ill effects of his actions on society but he continues with his behavior because it increases his welfare. For instance, in an industry where the owner is fully aware of the harmful effects of pollution but does not install pollution control devices because he wants to maximize his profits at the cost of safeguarding the collective interests. Society seeks to regulate individual behavior.

The purpose of social control is to regulate the interests of both the individual and the group in a way that is beneficial to both. The situation in society would be no different if there was no accepted mode of behavior. Individuals, therefore, have to be made to co-exist in a manner those benefits

them, as well as the groups they comprise of social control, becomes a necessity for the following reasons:

a)  To maintain the old order: For continuity and uniformity of a social group, the old social order must be maintained. This function is fulfilled by the family. The old members of the family initiate and socialize the young ones into their traditions, value patterns, and accepted forms of behavior.

b)  To regulate individual behavior:  Individuals vary in their ideas, interests, attitudes, habits, etc. Even children of the same parents think and behave differently. Thus their behavior needs to be regulated by the established norms which would lead to uniformity and solidarity in the group.

c)  To check cultural maladjustment:  Society is changing at a rapid pace. The changes threaten to uproot the existing social system and replace it with a new system. There is a need for greater social control to distinguish between good and bad and to retain one’s sense of balance and judgment.

Forms of Social Control

In primary groups, the relationships are close, direct, and intimate. Social Control is often maintained by informal mechanisms, i.e. customs, traditions, folkways, mores, and religions. These are adopted means by informal groups.

Sociologists identify two basic forms of social control:

1.  Internalization of norms and values, and

2.  External sanctions, which can be either positive (rewards) or negative (punishment)

Social control theory began to be studied as a separate field in the early 20th century. The means to enforce social control can be either formal or informal. Sociologist Edward A. Ross argued that belief systems exert greater control on human behavior than laws imposed by the government, no matter what form the beliefs take.