Explain Forms of Social Control (AC 2.1) Flashcards
What is social control according to criminology?
Social control refers to strategies to prevent deviant behaviour. It involves trying to persuade or compel people to conform to the laws, norms and expectations of society.
e.g. In the UK citizens are encouraged to conform to the law; any action which helps to achieve this is known as social control.
Explain Freud’s theory of internal social influence
Freud explained that people have a moral conscience known as the superego, and we conform to norms and laws because of our superego. The superego is a part of our personality that inflicts feelings of guilt onto us if we do not follow our morals, allowing us to restrain our urges, exercise self-control, and behave in socially acceptable ways.
Why might someone not break social norms, according to internal social influence?
A form of social control that comes from within us - from our personality and values. It prevents deviance because we feel inwardly what is the right or wrong thing to do, and we may feel guilty about not following this.
Define rational ideology as an explanation of social control
Our conscience may produce feelings of guilt or anxiety or worry. This guides us to reach a solution where we follow the law rather than committing crime. This is because we have internalised social rules and use them to tell us what is right or wrong, allowing us to keep within the law.
Define tradition as an explanation of social control
Individual traditions, customs or norms which mean that people conform to the rules can act as internal social control. As sometimes religion, culture or upbringing can ensure that a person does not break the law. Following traditions is a way to affirm one’s identity and feel belonging to a community.
Define Internalisation of social rules and morality as an explanation of social control
This is the ability to work out what is the right thing to do and know what is right and wrong based upon the social values of society. These rules are internalised through socialisation, starting off as external rules/ moral codes that then become personal, resulting in conformity.
Define external forms of social control
This is the use of external pressure to prevent crime and deviance, compelling members of society to conform to the law. Society does this through agencies of social control. These agencies use both positive and negative sanctions to make people behave in certain ways.
E.g the Criminal justice system has the power to impose sanctions to make people conform through charging of suspects and offering early release to good prisoners, etc.
How does external social control work?
- Coercion
- Fear of punishment
What is meant by coercion?
The use of force to make someone do/ stop doing something, this can be physical or non-violent.
- Physical coercion may take the form of bodily injury or imprisonment and in some countries the death penalty. Non-violent coercion includes things such as strikes, boycotts and non-cooperation, though this has more to do with bringing about change in the law.
E.g. The use of jail time by sending criminals to prisons is a form of coercion as prisoners are now forcefully unable to commit certain crimes. Also, prisons use coercion and the threat of loss of liberty, as seen in a suspended sentence which has a continued threat of custody for any future breaks in the law.
What is meant by fear of punishment?
Threats of punishment are used to evoke fear as a deterrent to criminal or deviant acts. This comes as either an individual or general form. Right realists argue that fear of punishment acts as a deterrent for crime as being charged and imprisoned for a criminal offence makes people less likely to do so out of fear.
Explain deterrence as a form of control
Deterrence involves putting people off committing crime, e.g. through the fear of being caught. There are two forms of deterrence: individual and general.
What are control theories?
Control theories try to explain why people follow the law. They support the view that people require nurturing to form attachments or bonds which are essential in producing internal controls such as consequence.
According to this view, crime is a result of the insufficient attachment and commitment to others.
What two theories provide control theory explanations?
- (Walter C.) Reckless
- (Travis) Hirschi
What was Reckless’ control theory?
He placed importance on parents and socialisation as through external controls like parental discipline and effective socialisation external as internal containment is built.
He argued we can avoid committing crimes through internal (coming from our upbringing) and external (coming from our social groups) containment. A combination of these two prevents people from committing crime.
What was Hirschi’s control theory?
He said that people must form social bonds, the four he identified being attachment, commitment, involvement and belief, to prevent criminal behaviour.
He claimed that positive attachments to parents, school and a peer group was important to promote prosocial behaviour.
Commitment to accomplish future positive goals such as a good job was also needed and involvement in social activities such as playing in a sports team helps to prevent criminal activity, as does believing in values such as committing a crime is wrong and following the law is right.
What are the 4 social bonds identified by Hirschi and examples of each?
- Attachment e.g to parents
- Commitment e.g to accomplish goals
- Involvement e.g in social activities
- Belief e.g in values like crime in wrong
How does feminism link to control theory?
Feminists also use control theory to explain women’s low rates of offending, arguing that patriarchal control over women makes it harder for them to offend as domestic duties leave them with less opportunity to engage in criminality.
Carlen found women who did offend were often brought up in care or had failed to form an attachment to their parents due to abuse.
