SOCIAL CONTROL

Meaning of Social Control

The survival and smooth functioning of the society are possible only when there exists in its social harmony, social solidarity and social order. Members of society are able to bring about social harmony or order only when they conform to certain accepted standards of behaviour or norms. Thus, social control refers to the control of society over the individual.

E. A. Ross was the first American sociologist to deal with this concept of social control in his famous book “social control” published in 1901. In fact, it was he who first used the concept of ‘social control’ in the sociological discussion.

Social control thought refers to the many ways in which our behaviour, thoughts, and appearance are regulated by the norms, rules, laws, and social structures of society. Social control is a necessary component of social order, for society could not exist without it.

Definition of social control

i.  According to Fairchild defined “Social Control is the sum total of the processes whereby society, or any sub-group within society, secures conformity to expectation on the part of its constituent units, individuals and groups”.

ii. According to E. A. Ross, Social Control refers to the “system of devices whereby society brings its members into conformity with the accepted standards of behavior”.

iii.   According to Manheim, “Social Control is the sum of those methods by which a society tries to influence human behavior to maintain a given order.”

iv.   According to Ogburn and Nimkoff have said that social control refers to “the patterns of pressure which a society exerts to maintain order and established rules.”

v. According to J. S. Roucek, Social Control is a collective term used to refer to “those processes planned or unplanned, by which individuals are taught, persuaded or compelled to conform to the usages and life-values of groups”.

TYPES OF SOCIAL CONTROL

Society makes use of various means of social control depending upon the time and social situation for the realization of its purposes. It is left to the discretion of the group to decide what means must be used at what time and in what social situation. In some primitive communities’ magic and superstitious beliefs are enough to exercise control in a rural society means such as folkways, more, customs, traditions, beliefs are enough to act as social pressures on individual behavior. But in the modern urban society, radio, television, newspapers, schools and colleges, police force, etc., may be used for enforcing conformity. In fact, societies have developed consciously or unconsciously various devices for the purpose of controlling the behavior of their members. Social Control can be classified into two major types on the basis of the means of social control that are employed. They are formal control and informal control.

i.  Formal Control: The state makes use of law, legislation, military force, police force, administrative device, etc., for the purpose of social control. Similarly, different political, religious, economic, cultural and other associations and institutions also institute formal control over the behavior of the members. Formal control is deliberately created. Various rules are laid down to make it specific. The necessity of following formal control or rules is clearly stated by associations and institutions. Violators of formal control are given punishments depending upon the nature and type of violation. The organization that makes use of formal control may even create a body of officials vested with power to enforce control as we find it in the case of state which has established the police, military force, etc. In brief, an association, whether it is a state or a bank, or an army, or a factory or anything has its own norms through which it controls the behavior of the members. All these come under formal control. Formal control has become a necessity in the modern complex societies in which interaction is mostly impersonal in nature.

ii. Informal Control: Informal control includes gossip, slander, resentment, public opinion, sympathy, sense of justice, folkways, mores, customs, religion, morality and such other agents. These are not purposefully created. Nothing could be said with certainty regarding their origin. They arise in their own way and in course of tie gain currency and popularity. They become deep-rooted with people in their practices. No specific punishment would be given to the violators of informal control. Still they are more effective than the formal control. They do not require any extra staff to enforce them as it is so in the case of formal control. They do not have the physical force to enforce conformity to them. Hence, people may not observe them or go against them without being physically punished for the same. Faith in religion, moral convictions, public opinion, artistic standard, and the general state of enlightenment are found to be more important in informal control.

Informal control is more effective in primary social groups such as family, neighborhood, tribe, rural community where interaction take place on a personal basis. Whenever the group or the society becomes larger (in term of population) and more complex, the informal devices of control become less effective. Simple gossip and slander and censure can correct an erring ruralite but not an urban citizen. The anonymity of city life which has added to the confidence of the individual that he could commit an offence without being noticed or caught by other who are mostly engaged in their own business contributes to the non-effectiveness of informal control. Hence informal methods have given place to the formal ones such as law, education, coercion and codes, though less effective informal control also functions along with formal control in urban areas in regulating people’s activities.

AGENCIES OF SOCIAL CONTROL

Society or group maintains social control by creating its own agencies which may enforce formal or informal control. Agencies such as law, education, physical coercion and codes on the one hand, folkways, more, customs, convention, tradition, religion, etc., on the other, have been used by the society for this purpose. The number and variety of devices and agencies employed depend on the degree of complexity of life in a society. The role of some of these agencies may be briefly discussed here.

i.       Control by Law: Law is a prominent means of social control. The state enacts laws to control the behavior of the individual in the society. Disobedience of these laws and their infringement is punished by the government. In this way, the control of law is the control of administrative power which is vested in the government officials. Laws are enforced with the help of the court, the police and sometimes the armed forces.

According to Ross, “Law is the most specialized and highly furnished engine of social control employed by society.” Ross has enumerated two functions of law:

                            (i)     to crush completely some of the homicidal activities of the individual, and

                          (ii)     to persuade the individual to both pay attention to the rights of the others and to act cooperatively.

In this way, law does not merely protect society or ensure its existence but also contributes to its welfare. The modern state is a welfare state. Hence, in modern states, law enters into all the aspects of life. Law, on the other hand, limits the field of activity by threatening punishment. While it protects the obedient from the disobedient of law, it also prevents everyone from becoming an obstacle in the path of another. In this way, law controls the conduct of the people of the state and grants everyone the opportunity to progress.

ii.     Control by Education: Education may be defined as a process whereby the social heritage of a group is passed on from one generation to another. It is in this sense, Durkheim conceived of education as “the socialization of the youngest generation”. Education is not just concerned with transmitting a way of life. In modern times it is largely devoted the communication of empirical knowledge. It is required today to prepare individuals for a changing rather than a static world. Formal education has been communicating ideas and values which play a part in regulating behavior. In modern society science and technology are the basis of a general rational approach to nature and social life. The whole rationalization of the modern world is connected with the development of science. The chief instrument of this development is educational system. In this way, formal education can be viewed as a type of social control.

Education has contributed to the regulation of conduct in the early socialization of the child. Education reformers such as Montessori and Froebel have brought about great changes in the education of young children. These reforms reveal the moral notions external to the educational system. But they have been influential in changing moral ideas in society at large.

Education from infancy to adulthood is a vital means of social control. Through education, new generation learns the social norms and the penalties for violating them. Theoretical education, that is reading and writing, serves to form the intellectual basis and with practical education one learns to put this into practice. Without proper education, the harmony of the individual and society is not merely difficult but also impossible. Education makes social control quite normal. It converts social control into self-control. In the absence of a well-organized educational system, social control would remain merely as an arbitrary pressure which may not last long. Hence, education is a necessary condition for the proper exercise of social control.

iii.   Control by the Public Opinion: Public opinion is of no mean importance as a means of controlling the behaviour of an individual. History bears evidence to numerous incidents of great men having to make great sacrifices because of public opinion. It was on the word of a washerman of his kingdom that the great king Ram Chandra turned his wife Sita out of his house and sends her into exile. In ancient times, many kings resorted to disguise in order to gauge and judge public opinion concerning them. In the present democratic age, public opinion is supremely powerful. It controls the government. Even the most powerful government has to resign if they oppose it. This public opinion is formed by propaganda, newspaper, cinema, radio etc. before embarking upon the improvement of society the wise reformers first create public opinion favorable to the,. An individual is more concerned with the reaction of people then even with the wrath of God. It is the fear of disgrace in society which causes most people to keep a check upon their behaviour. It is ordinarily very difficult to contradict public towards themselves but without doing so they cannot remain in conflict with it for long. Public opinion controls the conduct, behaviour, way of living and methods, etc., of the individual to a fairly large extent.

iv.    Control by Customs: In controlling the behaviour of an individual in society, customs play an important role. They regulate the life of an individual in a way so that he experiences the minimum of pressure. Generally, the people themselves want to live according to the custom as such a course firstly saves them from the objections and ridicule of the society and secondly, they do not have to resort to original thinking in every respect. By means of customs, they are provided with clear guidance for every activity. To take an example, among the Hindus there are various concepts, procedures, marriage, etc. in the varnashrama system these customs have been organized and systematized even further. Hence, a Hindu does not have to think about these things and his life progresses comfortably and in an orderly fashion according to the customs instituted after the experience of ages.

Customs are conformed mostly unconsciously. Man learns them from his very childhood and goes on obeying them. Customs are very rarely opposed. Even harmful customs are also obeyed by most people because they do not consider them harmful. While those who consider them harmful lack the courage to oppose them, only some exceptional individuals have the courage of going against them or carrying on protest against them.

v.     Control by Religion: Religion refers to man’s faith or belief in some supernatural power of force. As Maclver and Page have said, religion “implies a relationship not merely between man and man but also between man and some higher power.” Religious concept is thus linked with man’s relationship with God. The control of religion is very strong in the social sphere. Every religion has determined some laws of the behaviour the obedience of which is considered compulsory. At the base of these religious laws is the fear of divine displeasure and sufferings of hell, coupled with a loved and respect for some invisible power. The individual feels the pressure of this belief even more than the pressure exerted by the state and the society. In this way religion is a powerful weapon of social control.

vi.    Control by Morality: Morality is an institution that is closely related to religion. Morality is concerned with the conceptions of goodness and evil. It refers to “that body of rules and principles concerned with good and evil as manifested to us by conscience”. These rules are admitted at large by the community. Honesty, faithfulness, fairness, service-mindedness, truthfulness, conscientiousness, kindness, sacrifice, incorruptibility, etc., represent some of the moral concepts. People who are morally good are also socially good.

Morality always helps to make a distinction between right and wrong or good and bad. Hence morality acts as a guide of human behaviour. Moral rules are obeyed because of internal pressure. This pressure refers to the pressure of conscience. But in the case of religion, man obeys religious rule because of his fear towards God. In morality, man is not very much afraid of God, but he is afraid of society. Morality is based on rational judgment or rationality whereas religion is based on faith and emotions.

vii.  Control by Family: Family has great importance as an instrument of social control. The first place where an individual is socialized is the family. It is in the family that he learns the various methods of living, behaviour, conversion, etc. in the family he learns obedience and respect for the opinion of others. The control of parents upon the child is the control of society upon the individual. The family is a basic or fundamental form of society. It has some laws which every member has to obey. As general rule obedience to these rules is enforced lovingly and effort is made to make the individual understand them but sometimes recourse is had to punishment. In the family, the child is taught to behave in a way that conforms to the standard of goodness of the people. A divergence form such behaviour is checked by advising the child of the bad opinion of him which may be formed by other people. In this way, the individual leans to respect public opinion and to be controlled by it.

viii. Control by Sanctions: Sanctions are the supporters of norms. Sanction refers to “the rewards or punishments used to establish social control, that is, to enforce the norms in a society”. The basic purpose of a sanction is to bring about conformity. They used to force or persuade an individual or group to conform to social expectations.

Sanctions may be applied in various ways, ranging from the use of physical force to symbolic means, such as flattery. Negatively, they may be anything from a raised eyebrow to the death sentence. Positively, they range from a smile to an honorary degree.

Sanctions are applied in various ways. The type of sanctions also varies with the groups and situations. They may be positive or negative. Those sanctions which inflict pain or threaten to do so are negative. Those which elicit and facilitate response by rewards are positive. Both positive and negative sanctions may apply a wide variety of means. Positive sanctions include verbal methods such as praise, flattery, suggestion, persuasion, some education, indoctrination, advertising, propaganda, slogans, giving rewards, medals, badges, uniforms, titles, etc. Negative means include gossip, slander, satire, laughing at others, name-calling, threats, commands, censorship and finally overt action. The method of overt action is the final sanction when no other way remains open. In this methods pain, suffering and even death are included. Overt action also includes fines, imprisonment, whipping, mutilation, torture, banishment, ostracism and death. Extreme negative sanctions are applied only by the state.

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AGENCIES OF SOCIAL CONTROL

Society or group maintains social control by creating its own agencies which may enforce formal or informal control.

i.       Control by law: Law is the most powerful moral means of social control in modern society

ii.     Control by Education: Education may be defined as a process whereby the social heritage of a group is passed on from one generation to another. It is in this sense, Durkheim conceived of education as “the socialization of the younger generation”.

iii.   Control by the Public Opinion: Public Opinion is an important agency of social control. As Kimball Young has said, “public opinion consists of the opinion held by a public at a certain time”. There are various agencies for the formulation and expression of public opinion. The press radio, movies, and legislatures are the main controlling agencies of public opinion.

iv.    Control by propaganda: It refers to the techniques of influencing human action by the manipulation of representations. It is a means of influencing others, often towards a desirable end. It can also be used to replace old beliefs and practices with new ones.

v.     Control by Coercion: Coercion, that is, the use of physical force is one of the forms of social control coercion refers to the use of physical force to stop or control work or an action.

vi.    Control by folkways: ‘Folkways’ refers to the ways of the people. They constitute an important part of the social structure. They contribute to the order and stability of social relations. Human infants learn them through their elders through socialization.

vii.  Control by Mores: ‘Mores’ or ‘morels’ represent another category of norms. When ‘folkways’ act as regulators of behaviour then they become ‘mores.’ They are always considered as ‘right’ by the people who share them.

viii. Control by Religion: Religion refers to man’s faith or belief in some supernatural power or force. As Maclver and page have said, religion” implies a relationship not merely between man and man but also between man and some higher power”.