Issues and debates: social control (bio)

Question 1

INTRO

Social control

Answer 1

• Social control, often exercised by those with power, regulates behaviour to enforce conformity. It can be overt or covert, influencing individuals or groups.
• Psychology, a method of understanding human behaviour, has been accused of controlling the population. This understanding can be used for societal good or other purposes.

Question 2

A01 & A03 (can be used for social control)

Answer 2

A01 (can be used for social control):
- Understanding neurotransmitter functioning has led to drug therapies that manage mental illnesses and addictions, supporting social stability.
- Treatments like methadone for heroin addicts help individuals reintegrate and reduce crime linked to addiction.

A03:
- Biological psychology contributed to drug therapies that help control cravings without relapse. For example, methadone acts as a maintenance drug for heroin addiction.
- While this represents positive social control, critics argue it can act as a ‘medical straightjacket’ that addresses symptoms rather than root causes.

Question 3

A01 & A03 (can’t be used for social control)

Answer 3

A01:
- There is the possibility of negative uses of social control arising from biological research such as in aggression. It is possible for our understanding of brain areas and hormones involved in aggression to lead to surveillance of individuals likely to be aggressive and an attempt to control or correct their behaviour.

A03:
- Raine (1997) found differences in the prefrontal cortex of murderers compared to non-murderers.
- Although this could support interventions to prevent crime, it risks promoting unethical practices such as profiling and surveillance based on biological determinism, leading to discrimination against minority groups.

Question 4

judgment

Answer 4

Overall, our knowledge of biological psychology in social control can be judged as not useful as it exploits people for their brain structure