Introduction
The complexity of human conduct and the mechanisms that regulate behavior and maintain social order prompted sociologists and criminologists to develop a framework that explains the dynamics within the social fabric. The theory that aims to examine the forces that influence human actions is social control. Social control and its elements, such as its systems and agents, serve as a basis for order maintenance in society.
Social Control
Most criminological theories focus on the motivations behind deviant actions rather than what prevents individuals from committing them. Social control theory, however, emphasizes the importance of the conditions that regulate people’s behavior and act as factors discouraging them from unlawful acts (Wright et al., 1999). One example of social control is socialization in the family, where children learn appropriate behaviors from an early age. Another example is peer pressure or informal social norms that create certain expectations in terms of behavior (Wickes et al., 2017). In this case, the fear of social isolation can serve as a deterring factor.
Systems of Social Control
Social control encompasses various systems, both formal and informal, that exist to maintain social order. The first and the most important are the legal system and criminal justice. It is a formal system that defines which behaviors are acceptable and which are not, setting norms and consequences for violating these norms. The threat of legal repercussions and the application of punishment deter criminal behavior. The religious system plays a deterring role in many societies as well.
Religion typically provides a set of moral guidelines and values that influence behavior, and the decisions and actions of adherents are often shaped based on these beliefs. In this case, individuals are driven by guilt, the fear of divine retribution, or the desire for moral righteousness. Inderbitzin et al. (2017), for example, illustrated the functioning of this system by showcasing how teenagers from religious families tended to have sexual relations later in life as premarital relations are condemned in Christianity. Religious control can manifest in many forms and regulate behaviors in many ways.
Agents of Social Control
Agents of social control include law enforcement agencies and family members. Police officers and sheriff’s departments constitute a part of law enforcement and play a significant role in establishing social control. They are the formal agents, and their primary responsibility is to punish those who engage in criminal behavior. Family members, guardians, or any caregivers exercise particular social control and exert influence on other family members (McNeill et al., 2012). Inderbitzin et al. (2017) provide an example of the power-control theory, which states that mothers are the main socialization agents for their children. Overall, an individual’s behavior can depend mainly on the control their family members have over them.
Conscious and Unconscious Social Control
Society uses both control forms to regulate individual behavior: the conscious and the unconscious. On the one hand, these forms have the same goal; on the other hand, they differ in adaptability and visibility. Conscious control is more flexible, and its mechanisms are transparent and identifiable. Unconscious control operates subtly: people often do not realize they conform to these behaviors. Besides the legal system, social media has become a tool of conscious control (Surette, 2016). Traditions and customs are considered to be varieties of unconscious control.
Real and Artificial Social Control
Absolute social control differs from artificial social control in that it arises organically from the dynamics of a society, while authorities intentionally design the latter. The former is also more similar to unconscious control as it relies more on informal mechanisms such as beliefs and community expectations. In contrast, artificial control is established by legal and formal mechanisms. Moreover, the artificial form of control aims to address specific needs and challenges of society: the police, for example, regulates criminal offending (Klinger, 1997). The actual control can often be outdated and even contradict the artificial control. The relationship between the two can differ depending on the society.
Conclusion
Social control factors deter individuals from committing crimes and create order in society. Control can be exercised within formal and informal systems, such as the system of justice or organized religion. It can also involve social control agents: law enforcement or families. Forms of control also differ and regulate conduct in various ways: they can be more or less flexible or visible. Overall, all the components of social control contribute to order maintenance.
References
Inderbitzin, M., Bates, K. A., & Gainey, R. R. (2017). Deviance and social control: A sociological perspective(2nd ed.). Sage Publications.
Klinger, D. A. (1997). Negotiating order in patrol work: An ecological theory of police response to deviance. Criminology, 35(2), 277–306. Web.
McNeill, F., Farrall, S., Lightowler, C., & Maruna, S. (2012). How and why people stop offending: Discovering desistance. Insights, 15, 2–12. Web.
Surette, R. (2016). How social media is changing the way people commit crimes and police fight them.[Blog post]. Web.
Wickes, R., Hipp, J., Sargeant, E., & Mazerolle, L. (2017). Neighborhood social ties and shared expectations for informal social control: Do they influence informal social control actions?Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 33(1), 101–129. Web.
Wright, B. R. E., Caspi, A., Moffitt, T. E., & Silva, P. A. (1999). Low self-control, social bonds, and crime: Social causation, social selection, or both?Criminology, 37(3), 479–514. Web.
Loading...
