Social control and conformity

Last time

Before we start: last time, in Socialisation, culture and social identity, you learned these points. Here they are again on one card. Keep them in mind, because today builds on them.

Why most people follow the rules

Most people wait in queues, wear what is expected, and obey the law, most of the time. Society uses rewards and punishments, formal and informal, to keep behaviour in line. That is social control.

What social control is

Social control is the ways society makes people conform to its norms and values. Conformity means following the norms of a group or society. Without control, functionalists argue, society would fall into disorder.

Sanctions

Positive sanctions reward conformity: praise, prizes, promotion. Negative sanctions punish deviance: telling off, fines, prison. Sanctions can be formal, set by official rules, or informal, from everyday reactions.

Formal social control

Formal social control is carried out by official agencies using written rules and laws. The police, courts and prisons enforce laws. Schools and workplaces enforce their own rules. Sanctions are official: fines, detention, dismissal, imprisonment.

Informal social control

Informal social control comes from family, friends, peers, religion and the media. It works through approval and disapproval: a smile, a frown, gossip, being left out. For most people, informal control is more powerful than the law in daily life.

Formal and informal

The two kinds of social control compared.

The functionalist view

Functionalists see social control as necessary: it maintains shared values and order. Agencies such as the family, education and religion pass on shared values, so most people control themselves. Punishing deviance also reminds everyone of the rules, which strengthens social solidarity.

The Marxist and feminist views

Marxists argue social control protects the interests of the ruling class: laws protect property, and the police control the working class. Feminists argue women are controlled more tightly, for example through expectations about dress, behaviour and the home. So each perspective sees the same agencies differently.

Why some do not conform

Some people resist control: because of their subculture, a sense of injustice, or weak bonds to family and school. Others do not conform because control is weak or inconsistent. This links to the topic of crime and deviance later in the course.

Mistakes that lose marks

Mistake one: mixing up formal and informal control. Mistake two: giving the functionalist view with no evidence or example. Mistake three: listing agencies without explaining how they control behaviour. The fix: agency, method, sanction, view.

The full-marks tip

The full-marks tip: for each agency, say whether it is formal or informal, and how it controls behaviour. For an 8-mark answer, give at least three developed points with evidence.

On one card

So, on one card: social control. Keep it for revision.