Download S100. Lecture Notes 8. Social Control. 10.14.2009

S - 100
Social Control
Lecture Notes 8: 10/14/2009
Basic Facts
Social
Control

Social control is a central aspect of any
social organization
 Essential
for social order
 Mechanisms of social control ensures
conformity
 These mechanisms are essential because
socialization is not perfect
Basic Facts
Social
Control

Methods of social control varies by type
of society
 In
less diverse traditional societies
(homogeneous societies) controls are more
informal
 In large modern and diverse societiessocial control is more formal and
repressive
Basic Facts
Agents
of Social
Control


Force – Use of violence and the fear of violence
Economic Rewards or Punishment – promise and
denial of material rewards

Ridicule and Gossip – fear of being belittled for actions
outside of group expectations

Ostracism – Threat of removal and actual removal from the
group

Fraud and Deception – actions which seek to manipulate
others to confirm


Belief Systems – Ideology as a weapon to induce conformity
The Sphere of intimates – Peer pressure to induce
conformity

The Contract – actions controlled by the formal agreement
Basic Facts
What is
social
control?


Social Control - social mechanisms used as
means of regulating the behavior and
actions of individuals and groups
Mechanisms used to decide on sanctions
and rewards


Socialization process: acceptance of
appropriate norms and behavior of group
and or society
Mechanisms used to manipulate people in
order to keep them in check

Techniques of persuasion – ideology

Socialize the population to accept dominance of
ideology
Basic facts
Socializ
ation
and the
domina
nce of
ideolog
y

Ideological Social Control: Socialization of
individuals and groups to accept the
ideology of the ruling class

Manipulation of the consciousness of
individuals and groups to accept the belief
system of the ruling class as their own
Causes them to reject the appeal, approach,
and ideas of competing belief systems
 Causes them to accept without question the
status quo – the rule of law and the construct
of society
 Causes them to accept without question the
patterns of divisions of power, wealth, and
rewards of society

Basic Facts
Which is
more
effective?

Ideological Social Control or Overt
Social Control?
Answer

Why ideological social control is more effective
than overt social control?
 It
pushes individuals to exert and impose controls over
their own actions and behavior
 This
is achieved through the socialization process, through
which individuals not only learn the rules of the group or
social organization, but the ideology which supports those
rules


In this way individuals are not forced to conform
They want to confirm
Basic Facts
Agents
of
Ideologic
al Social
Control

The Family



The Education System








Where the child learns appropriate attitudes, values and behavior
Prepares the child to “fit” into “society”
Indoctrinates the child into the behavioral patterns of society with
regards to speech, dress, and demeanor
Indoctrinates the child to accept attitudes towards work, authority
and patriotism
Teaches history from the standpoint of the group
Tends to produces conformists, not critical thinkers
Religion
Sport
The Media
Government
Basic Facts
Agents
of
Ideologic
al Social
Control

The Family



Where the child learns appropriate attitudes,
values and behavior
Prepares the child to “fit” into “society”
The Education System



Indoctrinates the child into the behavioral
patterns of society with regards to speech, dress,
and demeanor
Indoctrinates the child to accept attitudes towards
work, authority and patriotism
Teaches history from the standpoint of the group


Legitimizes the place of the group or society
Tends to produces conformists, not critical thinkers
Basic Facts
Agents
of
Ideologic
al Social
Control

Religion
Provides behavioral guidelines for members,
and punishments for disobedience
 Reinforce the status quo- support for war,
conquest, slavery, legality of otherness
 Teaches acceptance that the world is
imperfect (people are born sinners), and
promotes the view of reward in the after life
 No need to change the system of inequality
from below

Basic Facts
Agents
of
Ideologic
al Social
Control

Sport


Reinforces conforming attitudes and behavior
Competition promotes national pride and unity




Invokes national pride
Supporting pageantry invokes patriotism
Team accomplishment – collective achievement
Serves as an opiate of the masses



Produces a safety valve for aggression and
competition
Deflects attention from everyday problems
Perpetuates the myth of the possibility of upward
social mobility
Basic Facts
Agents
of
Ideologic
al Social
Control

The Media
Promotes support for system
 Conservative bias

Promotes the consumer economy-consumers
buying products as essential element of progress
 Promotes the acceptability of corporate practice


Promotes images and ideologies in support of
imperialism, capitalism, racism, sexism,
militarism, authoritarian violence, vigilantism,
individual over collective action, and anti
working class attitudes
Basic Facts
Agents
of
Ideologic
al Social
Control

Government
Convinces the public that socialism is badcapitalism is good
 Promotes the primacy of the market – the market
has the same characteristic as god
 Market is omnipresent (universal), omniscient (all
knowing), and omnipotent (invincible)
 Promotes ideological conformity and hence
control




Political speeches, books, legislation
Advertisements and public relations outreach of
agencies
Manipulates the public


Unite against terrorist threat
Transfer money from social welfare to security
Basic Facts
Agents of
Direct
Social
Control

Direct social control:
 Mechanisms
which are established to
punish and or neutralize individuals
and organizations who deviate or are
likely to deviate from the status quo
 Targets
the poor, the mentally ill, criminals,
political dissidents
Basic Facts
Agents of
Direct
Social
Control

Welfare
Public assistance programs to diffuse
possibility of social unrest
 Designed to keep poor relatively satisfied


Science and Medicine
Devices that control the behavior of some
members of society-drugs, electroshock,
psychosurgery
 Eugenics – improvement of the human race
through the control of hereditary factors
 Sterilization
 Genetic improvement

Basic Facts
Agents of
Direct
Social
Control

Government

Apprehend and punish criminals




2002 (US) – 2.17 prison population
That is 255 of all the world’s prisoners
Incarceration rate in US six times higher than
Canada, England France; and ten times higher
than Sweden and Finland
Dissent is stifled in the interest of preservation of
order



This takes place at the same time that the tradition
of American society affirms the right to dissent
Dissent is stifled to prevent “anarchy”
Dissent is stifled to maintain the status quo of the
ruling class
Basic Facts
Agents of
Direct
Social
Control

Government

The different levels of government works in harmony to
establish and preserve social control of the ideas of
the ruling class



One level determine the law
The other level punishes violators
Laws and enforcement of laws promote the point of
view of the ruling class


Two views of the legal system
Order



Law to maintain order; the state and the law is neutral;
everyone have equal power under the law
Conflict
State serves the ruling class; law serves the interest of the
ruling class
Basic facts
Social
Control in
the private
sector and
its
implication
s today

Technology gives the private sector the
ability to know much more about
peoples private lives – for instances
purchasing habits, their DNA. Etc
 Increase
in monitoring and surveillance
 Security checks and scans more prevalent
 Violation of privacy – drug testing of
workers – 2000 81% of workers required
to have drug test
 Monitoring emails