AC2.1 Flashcards
What are norms?
Specific rules or socially accepted standards that govern people’s behaviour in a particular situation. They can vary from one culture to another.
What are values?
General principles or guidelines for how we should live our lives. They tell us what is right and wrong, good and bad. Shared by most people in a given culture.
What is a moral code?
Often used to describe a set of basic rules, values and principles held by an individual, group, organisation or society as a whole. They’re the good ways of behaving.
What are informal sanctions?
Used where rules are not formally written down and are perhaps unspoken.
What are formal sanctions?
Imposed by official bodies such as the police, schools and other institutions - punishments for breaking written rules or laws. E.g. fines, prison.
What is social control?
Organisations or bodies of people put into place rules or regulations for people to follow to ensure society runs smoothly.
What is internal social control?
Controls our behaviour from within ourselves. E.g. personalities, values etc.
What is external social control?
Controls our behaviour through social agencies. E.g. education, family etc.
What is Freud’s theory?
Psychoanalytic theory
What are the three elements to the psychoanalytic theory?
The id, ego and superego
What does the id do?
It’s the pleasure principle that controls our aggression/selfish and sexual desires. It is unconscious.
What does the ego do?
It’s our reality principle and moral compass. It balances the id and the superego.
What does the superego do?
It’s our morality principle and represents our morals, conscience, guilt and our ideal self.
What are the 6 internal forms of social control?
- Socialisation
- Rational ideology
- Religion
- Upbringing
- Tradition/culture
- Conscience
What is socialisation and how does it control us?
Societies moral code and rules become internalised as our own personal rules. Occurs through our interactions with people. E.g. conform to society
What is rational ideology and how does it control us?
Internalisation of society’s rules which are then used to determine right and wrong —> e.g. keep within the law.
What is religion and how does it control us?
People influenced by the rules within their religion e.g. Christians are influenced by the 10 commandments.
What is upbringing and how does it control us?
People influenced by how their parents raise them. E.g. if someone’s parents are very lenient then their child might lack control and be more subject to criminality.
What is tradition/culture and how does it control us?
People abide by the moral code and rules of their culture. E.g. in some cultures, adultery is frowned upon.
What is a conscience and how does it control us?
Internal moral code that impacts our behaviour. E.g. choosing not to be mean to someone because you know it could hurt their feelings.
What are the agencies of social control?
Peers/friends, education, family and the criminal justice system.
Who are rewards for? (Agencies of social control)
Those who do conform.
Who are punishments for? (Agencies of social control)
Those who don’t conform.
What is Skinners experiment and how does it relate to agencies of social control?
Skinners rat experiment using operant conditioning. Relates to AoSC as it reinforces behaviour.
What is the criminal justice system in relation so social control?
The police arrest, the CPS get evidence against you, the judges/magistrates choose your sentence and the prison service controls life of prisoners.
What is coercion and fear of punishment in relation to social control?
Deterrence puts off people committing crime. Right realists argue that the fear of punishment is what prevents would be criminals to obey the law and this therefore acts as a prevention.
Who came up with containment theory?
Walter Reckless
What is containment theory?
Everyone has psychological tendencies to commit crime but socialisation provides containment.
What is inner containment?
Comes from family and upbringing through socialisation (self concept/goal-orientation/frustration tolerance/norm retention).
What is outer containment?
Influences from social, peer groups or the law.
How does Reckless say social control is maintained?
A combination of external social containments and internal psychological containments deter people from committing criminal acts and maintain social control.
