SOCIAL CONTROL
Prepared by: Eugene B. Canada
BSED III-FILIPINO
OVERVIEW
• Every individual behavior is regulated by
certain norms. That is the individual cannot
just do what he/she wants unless it is in
accordance with the given norms and is
acceptable to every member of society.
Therefore, society determines whether the
individual behavior is lawful or unlawful.
Society pressures the individual to obey and
follow the set of values and norms
[Link] phenomenon is called social
control.
Meaning of Social Control
Societies have devised an approach to ensure
conformity to norms and restraint deviant behavior.
They vary in terms of what approach to use according
to their norms and customs. This approach of
compelling members of the society to perform their
roles according to what is expected to them is termed
as "social control". In general, social control simply
means the attempt by the society to regulate people 's
thoughts and behavior (Marconis 201).
TYPES OF SOCIAL CONTROL
• [Link] social control is a process of
internalizing the norms and standards of a
given society and recognizing them as
ideal and reasonable. Through
socialization, an individual learns and
adopts the norms of the society where
he/she belongs. At the moment of
acceptance, norms are internalized..
• Thus, when one violates the norms, there is a
normal feeling of guilt and regret. The primary
agent of socialization is responsible for
internalizing these norms of society is the
family.
2. External social control is an effort to rectify
or reform people who violate norms through a
system of reward and punishment. Positive
reinforcement occurs through provision of
reward; negative reinforcement is done through
punishment.
• 3. Informal social control is an interpersonal
between and among people in response to a
good or bad behavior. This is manifested by
the actions or facial expressions of the people
like a smile, a praise, a ridicule or frown. The
agents of social control are individuals not
known to the violators of the norms acting in
unofficial capacity. Since it is normal for every
individual to seek approval of others, he/she is
likely to adjust to the behavior that is widely
accepted by the majority of the members of
the society.
In case of failure to adjust, comply, or resist,
the individual hides his/her deviant act from
the public.
4. Formal social control is a means to ensure
observance of laws using the agents of the
government like the police, courts, or social
welfare agency. The agents tasked to ensure
conformity enjoy the mandate from the
Constitution and other laws of the state.
TYPES OF SOCIAL CONTROL
[Link] social control - can best be
observed in a primary group or small society
like a remote rural area where one knows
everyone. Informal social control is a self-
restraint exercise because of the fear of an
individual of what others might think. Informal
social control brings with it sanctions and
punishment if one fails to follow accepted
behavior.
Sanctions may either be in the form of ridicule,
criticism, and ostracism. Socialization may help
prevent social deviation or promote conformity
among members.
[Link] social control - When society becomes
more complex, formal social control is needed to
maintain order among the members. Rules are
written down and laws are specified. Members then
are expected to know, obey, and follow the rules.
Failure to conform means [Link]
may range from fines, imprisonment, to the death
penalty.
Formal social control involves an organized
system of specialized agencies and standard
techniques. These are two main types:
a. Those instituted by agencies other than
state
[Link] imposed by the political state.
Some Mechanism used to Encourage
Conformity
Hollnsteiner (Sanchez, 1987) in her study entitled
"Social Control, the Individual and Social Change"
identified different mechanisms used to encourage
conformity in the society.
1. "pakikisama"
2. The tendency to level an individual who is out of line.
3. Indirect method of criticism or gossip
4. Curbing of anti-social attitudes by making a person
painfully aware of his/her shortcomings.