AC2.1 Flashcards
Social Control
It is an action that tries to persuade or compel members of society to conform to the rules and prevent deviant behaviour and any course of action that helps achieve this is a form of social control
What are examples of internal forms of social control
Tradition, rational ideology
What are examples of external forms of social control
Control theory, coersion, fear of punishment, fear of punishment, rules and morality.
Internal forms of social control
It is your conscience telling you it is wrong. We conform to rules because our sense of self respect demands it, this process of social control is internal. Internal forms of social control regulate our own behaviour in accordance with the accepted form.
Rational ideology
This is an idea or belief to achieve social control. Your conscience with feeling of guilt, anxiety or worry from within, guides you to reach a solution or follow laws and rules
Tradition
It may be your own tradition, customs or norms that ensure you conform to the rules. Sometimes religion or culture or purely your upbringing ensues that you do not break the law.
Internalisation of social rules and morality
The internalisation of social rules and morality working out what is the right and wrong thing to do and therefore knowing what is right and wrong based on social values. EG not eating all the buiscuits and saving some for others
External forms of social control
External pressures persuade or compel members of society to conform to the rules. This is in an attempt to ensure you wont repeat the behaviour. Most obvious from of external social control is exercised by people specifically empowered to enforce conformativity of social laws. Police officers, judges and prisoners are the most evident agents of external social control.
Coersion
bodily injury, imprisonment, strike, boycott and non-cooperation. Prisons clearly use coersion and the threat of loss and liberty. This can be seen in a suspended sentence
Fear of punishment
Use of punishment as a threat to stop people from offending is called deterrence.
Deterrence has two key assumptions, 1) individual deterrence- punishment imposed on offenders in order to deter or prevent them from committing further crime. Eg a suspended sentence or conditional discharge, where there are other more serious consequences. 2) detternence to others- fear of punishment that prevenents others from committing similar crimes. Lengthy prison sentences or heavy financial penalty’s allows others to see the potential consequence and are deterred from committing the same action.
Control theory
Control theories try to explain why people do not commit crimes. They support the view that people require nurturing in order to develop attachments or bonds that re key in producing internal controls such as conscience. According to this view, crime is the result of insufficient attachment and commitment
Walter C. Reckless
Developed one version of control theory known as containment. He argued that e can resist committing crimes due to inner and outer containment. Inner - can be used in reference to external and internal. Inner containment comes from our upbringing and particularly the influence from our family. Outer containment refers to influence of social groups including including the laws of society in which we live in.
Travis Herschi
Beleived that people must form social bonds to prevent criminal behaviour. He stated that there are 4 bonds in namely attachment, commitment, involvement and these must be performed.
Using examples, explain what is meant by internal social control (4 marks)
Internal forms of social control are what motivate us not to commit crimes. But these are not written rules but things that we believe because of the way we have been brought up. For example, family ties help people not to commit crimes as they are attachments. Also, if you have many interests you concentrate on them and therefore not crime. For example, you may belong to a community group. Belief is another example.
