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Jun 26, 2012 · Introduction. Social control is the study of the mechanisms, in the form of patterns of pressure, through which society maintains social order and cohesion. These mechanisms establish and enforce a standard of behavior for members of a society and include a variety of components, such as shame, coercion, force, restraint, and persuasion.
- Sociology of Law
The tension between the sociology of law as a specialty in...
- Sociology of Law
- Origins of The Concept of Social Control
- Types of Social Control Theory
- Parsons’ Approach to Social Control
- Matza’s Techniques of Neutralisation
- Hirschi’s Control Theory
- Marxist Approaches to Social Control
- Interactionist Approaches to Social Control
The concept is often traced back to the seventeenth century Philosopher Thomas Hobbes who argued that in a society of self-interested individuals a great power (the State) was needed to prevent things deteriorating into a war of all against all. Individuals agreed to give up some of their individual freedoms by promising to obey the laws of the Sta...
One way of dividing up theories of social control is to separate them into conformity producing and deviance repressingapproaches (Hudson 1997) suggested there were Conformity producing theories tend to focus on how people learn to conform by internalising social norms and taking on social roles (like with the Functionalist view of the family or ed...
Parsons was interested in the question of how societies produce enough conformity to reproduce themselves (or carry on) across several generations. He pointed out that the majority of people to do not seem to mind conforming to most of society’s norms and values for most of the time during most of their lives. In other words most people willingly c...
David Matza’s work on ‘techniques of neutralisation’ supported this view. He pointed out that even people who broke the laws of society still shared the general values of that society. Matza argued that when people committed deviant acts, they employed ‘techniques of neutralisation’ to explain why they had broken social norms and/ or values. Techni...
Hirschi’s theory of social controlemphasized the importance of attachments and social bonds. The more bonds an individual has to society, the more time he or she spends involved with other people and social institutions, then the less likely that individual is to commit deviance. In Hirschi’s theory, deviance doesn’t really need explaining: it happ...
Unlike the three consensus approaches above, Marxists tend to see social control as being consciously or unconsciously ‘engineered’ by the capitalist class and the state. In terms of ‘conformity producing’ approaches – Marxists see the norms and values of education as working to produce a docile and passive workforce – as outlined in Bowles and Gin...
The labelling perspectivesees social control and deviance as having an ironic relationship. The more the agencies of social control try to prevent deviance, by labelling and policing certain behaviours as deviant, then the more deviance will be created. (*) Giddens and Sutton (2017) Essential Concepts in Sociology
Jun 17, 2024 · Written by Chris Drew (PhD) | June 17, 2024. Social control is a concept referring to rules and restrictions that shape, supervise, and regulate the behaviors of individuals and societies. We can separate them into formal and informal types of social control. Examples of social control include the use of religious texts to enforce moral ...
Feb 13, 2024 · Theories of Social Control. Social control is the process whereby society seeks to ensure conformity to the dominant values and norms in that society. This process can be either informal, as in the exercise of control through customs, norms, and expectations, or formal, as in the exercise of control through laws or other official regulations.
Jan 1, 2023 · Conclusion. Social control is an intricate and essential component of society. It provides the glue that holds the fabric of society together, ensuring that norms, values, and laws are upheld. Understanding social control gives us insight into the delicate balance between individual freedom and societal order.
Oct 13, 2019 · By Ashley Crossman. Updated on October 13, 2019. Sociologists define social control as the way that the norms, rules, laws, and structures of society regulate human behavior. It is a necessary part of social order, for societies could not exist without controlling their populations.
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Feb 20, 2021 · Social control theory describes internal means of social control. It argues that relationships, commitments, values, and beliefs encourage conformity—if moral codes are internalized and individuals are tied into broader communities, individuals will voluntarily limit deviant acts. This interpretation suggests the power of internal means of ...
