2. Social control - Meaning
• Social control means control individual behavior
by society and that control of social institutions
should be in the interest and welfare of the
society.
• Social control can be exerted through public
opinion, force, public appeal, social, religious
organizations.
• Social control can be implemented by society
through clubs, family, trade union, church, state,
school, religious groups, etc.
• Social control should be exercised for promoting
the welfare and interest of the entire society.
3. Forms of Social control
• F.E.Lumley classified social control into 2:
a. Based upon force: By compulsion.
b. Based on symbols: By rewards, praise,
flattery, gossip, satire, etc.
• E.C.Hayes classified into 2:
a. Control by sanctions: A system of rewards
and punishments.
b. Control by suggestion in imitation:
4. Forms of Social control (Contd..)
• Karl Mannheim classified into 2:
a. Direct means of social control: It is the
control that exercises upon the individual by
the reactions of the people who are living
within the proximity. Eg: family,
neighborhood, play group.
b. Indirect social control: It is the control
which is exercised upon individual by the
factors like customs, laws, opinions. Eg:
Traditions and customs.
5. Forms of Social control (Contd..)
• Kimbell Young classified into 2:
a. Positive social control: it means rewards and
incentives, fame, respect, etc.
b. Negative social control: Punishments,
defamation, negative criticism, etc.
• Bernard classified into 2:
a. Conscious social control: It means the control
which have been consciously developed and
employed by leaders of all types. Eg: Education,
Law, Public opinion and Coercion.
b. Unconscious social control: Custom, Tradition,
Convention
6. Forms of Social control (Contd..)
• Bernard classified into 2:
a. Destructive social control: The means are
punishments, reprisals, intimidation and
repression.
b. Constructive social control: It includes
revolution, custom, law, education, social
reform and non0violent coercion.
• Sociologists classified into 2:
a. Formal means of social control:
b. Informal means of social control:
7. Forms of Social control (Contd..)
• Sociologists classified into 2:
a) Informal means of social control
b) Formal means of social control
a) Informal means of social control:
Features:
– Grow themselves in society.
– No special agency is required.
– It is exercised through customs, traditions,
folkways, modes, religion, ridicule, etc.
8. Forms of Social control (Contd..)
i) Social suggestions: It is a powerful means of
social control.
– By putting the life examples of great men.
Eg: Gandhiji’s birthday celebration.
– By making suggestions through literature, books,
journals, newspapers, etc.
– Through education.
– Through advertisement.
9. Forms of Social control (Contd..)
ii) Ideologies: Ideology is a theory of social life,
which interprets social realities from the point of
view of deals to prove the correctness of the
analysis and to justify these ideals.
Ideologies influence social life to a very deep
extent. They express the vital interests of social
groups and satisfy their desire for a scheme of
social betterment. They simulate action. They
provide set of values. They are motivators of
social action. Eg: Gandhism, Leninism.
10. Forms of Social control (Contd..)
iii)Folkways: Folkways are the recognized
modes of behavior which arise automatically
with a group. They are the behavior pattern
of everyday life, which arise spontaneously
and unconsciously in a group.
They have some degree of traditional
sanction. Eg: A particular dress must be worn
at particular function.
11. Forms of Social control (Contd..)
iv)Modes: Modes are those folkways, which are
considered by the group to be of great
significance rather than indispensible to its
welfare. Modes are related to the
fundamental needs of the society.
Modes are always moulding human
behavior. They restrain an individual from
doing act considered as wrong by his/her
group. Eg: Monogamy, prohibition,
endogamy, anti-slavery, etc.
12. Forms of Social control (Contd..)
v) Customs: Customs are the established habits
and usages of the people. They are passed on
from generation to generation. They are
accepted by the society. Customs plays an
important role in social control. It compels
the individual to conform to the accepted
standards.
13. Forms of Social control (Contd..)
vi) Religion: It also exercises a powerful influence
upon man’s behavior in society. Religion is an
attitude towards super human powers. Several
forms are superstition, animism, etc.
Religion pervades practically in all societies,
though there may be different forms of religious
beliefs and practices.
Religions make people benevolent, charitable,
forbearing and truthful. Religion should be an
incentive to develop ethical idealism.
14. Forms of Social control (Contd..)
vii) Art and Literature: Art and literature influence
the imagination and exert control on human
behavior. Eg: The martial music of the military
band arouses feeling of determination and
strength. Artists are called agents of civilization.
Literature influence human behavior in
society. Eg: Epics in all religions. Detective and
Romantic literature plays their own role. Eg:
Rosseau in France has tended the French
Revolution, Dickens by his books changed the
school system in Britain.
15. Forms of Social control (Contd..)
viii) Humour and Satire: Humour varies
depending upon the situation and purpose. It
serves to relieve a tension situation. But
sometimes it is used with a bad intention to
deflate others without a reason. Eg: Cartoons,
Comics.
Satire employs wit and scorn as indirect
criticism of actions felt to be vicious and
socially harmful. It exposes by ridiculing the
falsity and danger of behavior.
ix) Public opinions: It influences greatly in our
action. For fear of public ridicule and criticism
we may not indulge in immoral and anti social
activities.
16. Forms of Social control (Contd..)
b) Formal means of social control
i) Law: In modern society law plays an important
role in social control. In a complex society,
formulation of rules and regulations is essential.
Law is a body of rules enacted by legally
authorized bodies and enforced by punishments
for heir violations.
ii) Education: Education is process of
socialization. It prepares a person to fit
according to the needs of the society. Education
corrects misbelieves and removes prejudices.
Education teaches discipline, social co-
operation, tolerance and sacrifice. It instills the
qualities of honesty, fair play and a sense of
right and wrong.
17. Forms of Social control (Contd..)
iii) Coercion: It is the use of force to achieve a
desired end. It is the ultimate means of social
control when all other means fails.
a) Physical coercion is in the form of bodily
injury, imprisonment and death penalty.
Society prefers physical coercion the least.
b) Non-violent coercion consists of strikes,
the boycott, non-cooperation, etc.
Eg: Gandhiji’s non-cooperation movement,
students strike to get a teacher for them to
teach.
18. Agencies of Social control
i) Family: First place where the child is
socialized. Individuals learn various methods
of living, behavior patterns, conventions,
customs, traditions, modes from family.
Family influences a person by suggestion,
persuasion, praise, blame, ridicule, criticism,
etc.
ii) Neighborhood: It is the first community with
which the individual comes into contact with.
It has great influence on social control. It
influence society by suggestion, persuasion,
praise, blame, ridicule, criticism, etc.
19. Agencies of Social control (Contd..)
iii) Church: It is a powerful agency in social
control.
iv) Religion: Religion supports folkways, modes of
society. Religion play positive and negative
controls over the society.
v) School: Child learns discipline from the school.
vi) Law: In modern society law plays an important
role in social control. In a complex society,
formulation of rules and regulations is essential.
Law is a body of rules enacted by legally
authorized bodies and enforced by punishments
for heir violations.
20. Agencies of Social control (Contd..)
vii) Administration: It forces individual to obey.
Administration punish the violators with the
help of police, the army, etc.
viii) Force: Through physical and non-physical
coercion social control is possible.
ix) Public opinion: It influences greatly in our
action. For fear of public ridicule and criticism
we may not indulge in immoral and anti social
activities.
x) Propaganda: It is a systematic attempt by an
individual to control the attitudes of people
through suggestions and consequently by their
actions. Development in mass communication,
propaganda has become an effective means of
social control.
