AC2.1- Forms of social control Flashcards
What is social control?
Ways of regulating societal behaviour so it fits the norms- persuading people to conform to norms, laws and expectations so society runs smoother.
What is internal social control?
How we adapt our own behaviour which leads to us conforming to the rules of society, we self-regulate our behaviour.
How does Freud’s personality theory link to internal social control?
A healthy personality needs a balance between the 3 parts of the psyche- Id (pleasure principle present from birth), ego (reality principle which expresses Id impulses appropriately) and superego (emerges at age 5 and holds moral standards we internalise from parents) in order to make moral decisions in line with society’s values.
How do we internalise social rules and morality?
Socialisation- we internalise the norms and ideologies of society through mixing with others and seeing how others behave.
Rational ideology- our conscience guides us to follow what is right.
Culture and tradition- the culture we belong to becomes part of us through socialisation, we internalise its values to become part of the community- eg Muslims fasting during Ramadam.
What is external social control?
The control of our behaviours through social agencies such as education, which adapt our behaviour as we may fear punishment.
What are agents of social control?
Organisations/ institutions which impose rules on us in order to behave in a specific way- eg families, the education system. They can give positive or negative sanctions.
How does Skinner’s operant conditioning theory link to external social control?
Behaviour is shaped by its consequences- a stimulus (antecedent) leads to a behaviour which leads to a consequence which may be positive or negative and influences the way in which we behave.
How is the criminal justice system a form of external social control? 2 methods
It contains several agencies of social control which have the power to use legal sanctions against an individual so they conform to society- eg the police, CPS, judges.
They control society through:
Coercion- using the threat of force to make someone do/stop doing something, eg through sending someone to prison.
Fear of punishment- people may fear the punishment of a crime such as a fine or going to prison so are less likely to commit it.
What are the 4 factors of Hirschi’s social control theory and how does the theory link to criminality?
Attachment, commitment, belief, involvement.
Delinquent adolescents fail to develop societal bonds consisting of: attachment to peers/ parents, occupational and educational commitment, academic involvement and belief in social rules meaning they are more likely to engage in criminal behaviour.
What is attachment?
The strength of the bonds and relationships within an individual’s social environment- positive/negative attachments.
Deviant behaviour is affected by person’s relationships with others.
What is commitment?
The level of dedication invested in conventional standards and goals, someone who has already invested time into goals has more to lose by being deviant.
What is belief?
Someone who is intensively involved in conventional activities has less time and opportunity to engage in criminal activity.
What is involvement?
The more the norms and values have been internalised, the more difficult it is to violate them. When the meaning of norms is questioned, the motivation to obey them decreases.
How do social bonds link to parenting?
Riley and Shaw: The importance of parental supervision: parents who involve themselves in a teenager’s life and spend time with them and are interested in what they do may show disapproval for criminal behaviour , self- control which is lower may be linked to poor socialisation and inconsistent parental discipline.
What did Walter Reckless believe?
Parenting and socialisation are key for: internal containment (self control and resisting the urge to offend) and external containment (parental discipline and fear of punishment)
