social control

Cards (9)

  • Agencies of social control: The different groups and organisations in society that make sure individuals follow the formal and informal rules. (Government laws and social norms)
  • Formal social control
    • behaviour is controlled by organisations that enforce order
    • If we break the law, there are negative sanctions such as fines or prison
    • criminal justice system
  • Informal social control
    • behaviour is controlled in less formal settings by family, friends, religion etc
    • Sanctions may include disapproval or social rejection
    • based on unwritten laws
  • Methods of formal control
    • Houses of Parliament -the legislature and they legislate; make laws to regulate our behaviour
    • The police force maintain the order and enforce the laws
    • Judiciary- convict and sentence guilty people
    • Magistrates- volunteers who hear cases in the magistrates Court. Deal with minor offences.
    • Crown Court deals with serious criminal offences. The case is heard in front of a jury and the judge passes a the sentence
    • The prison service keeps offenders who have received a prison sentence in custody. Deters them from committing crimes
    • Functionalists argue that modern society is based on value consensus—an agreement on the norms and values of society.
    • Socialisation teaches us these norms and values and so social order is maintained by people agreeing to follow these rules
    • Marxists see capitalist society as based on conflicting interests between two classes.
    • The bourgeoisie (ruling class) own the means of production (businesses and companies) and employ the proletariat (working class).
    • Social order is maintained over time because the bourgeoisie have the power to enforce order.
    • They are able, for example, to influence the type of laws that get passed in society.
  • methods of social control
    • refers to the processes by which people are encouraged or persuaded to conform to the rules
    • refers to the ways that social groups or societies deal with behaviour that VIOLATES or breaks these rules
    • Social control methods may involve sanctions that aim to limit or reduce frequency of deviant acts
    • For example, a PROMOTION at work is a positive sanction and prison sentence is a negative sanction.
  • social control
    The process by which society is persuaded to conform to the rules
  • Methods of informal social control
    • Informal social control is based on unwritten rules.
    • It works by people approving or disapproving of others’ behaviour.
    • ‘Agencies of informal social control’ such as family, peers, teachers or work colleagues
    • use positive or negative sanctions to change others’ behaviour.