AC 2.1 Flashcards
What are the 3 forms of internal social control?
Rational ideology
Tradition
Internalisation of social rules and morality
what is social control?
persuading/compelling members of society to conform to norms and laws
What theory does rational ideology link to ?
rational action theory - we choose whether or not to conform to laws and social norms of behaviour.
What is rational ideology?
Our conscience compels us to follow legal rules and social norms. The behavior of societies results from the behavior of individuals, each of whom makes their rational decisions and exercises individual choice.
What is tradition?
The influence of religion and culture ensures that we are socialized to accept and conform to values and norms of behavior.
What is socialization?
describes how we come to understand social norms of behaviour : the lifelong process of inheriting, interpreting and disseminating norms, customs and ideologies
How does tradition become forms of social control?
We internalise traditions so that these become forms of internal social control.
Conformity with traditions affirms our identity and our membership of e.g. a religious community and helps to ensure that we internalise these norms.
What is Internalisation of social rules and morality?
The process by which people develop a psychological need or motive to conform to a set of shared norms . Through socialisation, societies rules become our rules. Therefore, we see conformity as desirable and appropriate and conform willingly to social norms. Knowing what is right or wrong based upon social values, e.g. queue jumping or failing to return excess change makes us feel guilty.
what theory does Internalisation of social rules and morality link to?
We feel guilt /shame at the prospect of behaving in a deviant way. This links to Freud’s idea of the superego which releases the defence mechanism of guilt to remind us not to break the law.
What are the 3 types of external social control?
Coercion
Fear of punishment
Control theory
What are the 2 types of coercion?
Physical coercion to ensure conformity
Non-physical measures
what is an example of physical coercion to ensure conformity?
death penalty , prison
what is an example of Non-physical measures
fines
how do police help to achieve social control?
have the power to restrict a person’s liberty (freedom) by arresting suspects.
What theory opposes the role of cohesion in controlling society?
DURKHEIM suggested that social norms themselves have coercive power. Norms are social facts: rules that guides behaviour among members of a society or group – and moreover, they exist in society, independently of individuals. Therefore, norms shape our thoughts and behaviour and therefore exert coercive power. So, on this basis, could we argue that society doesn’t need prisons and other formal punishments because our norms are so powerful that people fall in line and obey them without the need to threaten people with punishments?
How does fear of punishment work as an external form of social control?
FEAR OF PUNISHMENT HAS A DETERRENT EFFECT
What are the 2 kinds of deterrence?
individual
general
What does individual deterrence mean?
Courts impose formal punishment to deter offenders from committing further crimes. E.g. a suspended prison sentence to deter the offender from committing further crimes.
What does general deterrence mean?
Seeing offenders punished deters others from offending.
How does social control theory work as a form of external social control?
Our relationships, commitments, values, norms, & beliefs encourage us not to break the law
What is social control theory?
Social control theory – a theory explored and adapted by numerous theorists (e.g. Toby, Hirschi and Reckless) – do not try to explain why some people commit crime but rather, why most of us don’t.
How does internalization link to social control theory?
If moral codes are internalized& individuals have a stake in their wider community
THEN
Individualswill voluntarily limit their propensity to commit criminal / deviant acts.
What theory does Toby link to?
a stake in conformity
What theory does hirschi link to?
bonds of attachment theory
What theory does reckless link to?
inner & outer containments
Explain Toby’s a stake in conformity theory/
individuals engaged in non-delinquent community activities felt they had too much to lose by joining delinquentgroups. Therefore, they had a stake in conformity.
Explain Hirschi’s BONDS OF ATTACHMENT THEORY
Social bonds (connections) between the individual & society encourage conformity.
The stronger these bonds between us & society, the more likely it is that we’ll be law-abiding.
what 4 elements are involved in bonds of attachment?
ATTACHMENT:sensitivity & affection for others
COMMITMENT:investment conventional society –stake in conformity
INVOLVEMENT: in society – limits opportunities for delinquency
BELIEF: extent to which the individual thinks they should obey norms / law
Explain reckless containment theory
A combinationof
‘CONTAINMENTS’ enables us to resistthe temptation to offend
What are examples of external containments?
Social influence of social groups,including laws of society & parental punishments, threats of arrest by police & formal punishments imposed by courts
What are examples of internal containments?
Influence of parenting values & socialization help us to build self-control to resist the temptation to commit crime
How do the CPS aid in external forms of social control?
can charge a suspect and prosecute them in court
How do judges and magistrates aid in external forms of social control?
have powers to bail the accussed or remand them is custody and too sentence the guilty to a variety of punishments
