social control, conformity and resistance

Question 1

social structure

Answer 1

the social organisation of society

Question 2

social construction

Answer 2

an interactionist concept that refers to behaviour that is thought to be natural but is actually the product of cultural expectations and processes

Question 3

agency

Answer 3

free will or the ability to choose particular courses of action

Question 4

structuralist theories

Answer 4

theories such as functionalism, Marxism and feminism which claim people’s actions are the product of the ways their societies are organised or structured

Question 5

macro approaches

Answer 5

a top-down approach which is mainly interested in how society or aspects of it influence individual actions

Question 6

positivist

Answer 6

a scientific approach which aims to document the impact of social forces on human behaviour by collecting large-scale data using sociological methods which are regarded as highly reliable and objective

Question 7

consensus theory

Answer 7

a type of structuralist approach which sees society as characterised by agreement and order: eg functionalism

Question 8

conflict theories

Answer 8

theories such as Marxism and feminism which see societies as characterised by conflict between social classes or between men and women

Question 9

humanist approach

Answer 9

a micro or ‘bottom-up’ approach which is interested in how social reality is ‘interpreted’ by individuals during their everyday interaction with others

Question 10

voluntarism

Answer 10

the idea that human action is voluntary rather than imposed externally by social forces beyond the individuals control. Voluntarists as represented by social action theories believe that social behaviour is the result of people having free will and the ability to choose how to act

Question 11

free will

Answer 11

the power to make decisions or choices that are not shaped by social forces beyond the control of the individual

Question 12

self

Answer 12

this is composed of two parts; the ‘I’ is how people see themselves, while the ‘me’ is how we present ourselves when interacting with others

Question 13

social controls

Answer 13

regulations and rules which aim to reinforce ‘ideal’ behaviour and to ensure conformity. Failure to abide by social controls may result in public punishment.

Question 14

negative sanctions

Answer 14

punishments aimed at deterring deviance

Question 15

ideological

Answer 15

based on untrue information, propagated by a powerful group, aimed at justifying and legitimating some type of inequality

Question 16

conformity

Answer 16

abiding by or complying with social norms, rules and laws

Question 17

positive sanctions

Answer 17

rewards which encourage conformity

Question 18

subculture

Answer 18

a distinct group that exists within a wider society. A subculture has a very distinct and separate identity, for example, in terms of the way they dress or behave-that stands out from mainstream culture

Question 19

spectacular youth subculture

Answer 19

highly visible groups of young people who commit themselves to a certain ‘shocking’ look in terms of hairstyle, dress codes and so on, and whose behaviour is often interpreted by the older generation and the media as ‘threatening’ the moral order or stability of society

Question 20

symbolisation

Answer 20

a process found in some news reporting of social groups in which journalists identify key features of particular groups, especially young people, so that they can be avoided by others or be easily identified and targeted by the police

Question 21

demonisation

Answer 21

the social practice of treating some groups as if they were ‘social problems’ or a threat to those who belong to mainstream law-abiding society.

Question 22

fat-shaming

Answer 22

the action or practice of humiliating someone judged to be fat or overweight by making mocking or critical comments about their size

Question 23

social pressure

Answer 23

influence exerted on an individual or group by a more or equally powerful person or group. The influence might take the from of rational argument, persuasion or coercion (threats, violence and so on). For example, a peer group may exert social pressure on an adolescent to behave in an anti-social manner

Question 24

sanctions

Answer 24

a negative sanction is a threatened penalty for disobeying a law or rule. A positive sanction may take the form of approval or a reward

Question 25

consensual policing

Answer 25

the power of the police to fulfil their functions and duties is dependent of public approval of theri existence, actions and behaviour and on their ability to secure and maintain public respect

Question 26

cost-benefit analysis

Answer 26

a process that involves members of society rationally weighing up the benefit of, say, obeying the law against the costs of not doing so or of rejecting the need for law altogether

Question 27

anarchy

Answer 27

a state of disorder due to absence or non-recognition of authority or agencies of social control

Question 28

social exchange

Answer 28

interaction and negotiation between individuals that involves maximum benefit and minimum cost for mutual or reciprocal benefit

Question 29

bonding social capital

Answer 29

the sharing of info or resources that may create opportunities for jobs or mutual help

Question 30

bridging social capital

Answer 30

social and political alliances or networks that increase the potential for social change

Question 31

mechanical solidarity

Answer 31

the sense of togetherness in a society that arises when people perform similar work and share similar experiences, customs, values and beliefs. Such societies view society as more important than the individual

Question 32

organic solidarity

Answer 32

a type of system in which community ties are loose because people are exposed to a greater range of ideas, which encourages individualism and less moral certainty

Question 33

anomie

Answer 33

according to Durkheim- a state of normlessness or moral uncertainty in which the social rules of behaviour are not clearly drawn, therefore making people more prone to deviance.