This document defines important sociological terms and concepts. It provides definitions for social control, social processes, social system, social stratification, social conflict, social change, and social problems. It then discusses the significance and nature of social processes and social control. Theories of social control from Parsons, Matza, Marxism, and interactionism are outlined. Types of social processes and social control are defined. Finally, notable writers on social control like Weber, Durkheim, Marx, and Spencer are mentioned.

1. Definition of
Important
Terms

2. Social Control
- Is a tool used by societal
groups to maintain order and
ensure that their collective will is
being followed by members of
the society.

3. Social Processes
Social processes refer to forms of
social interaction that occur
repeatedly. The ways in which
individuals and groups interact and
establish social relationships is called
the “social processes”.

4. Social System
the patterned series of
interrelationships existing
between individuals, groups, and
institutions and forming a
coherent whole.

5. Social Stratification
Is a society’s categorization of
people into socioeconomic strata,
based on their occupation and
income, wealth and social status, or
derived power.

6. Social Conflict
refers to conflict in which the parties
are an aggregate of individuals, such
as groups, organizations,
communities, and crowds, rather than
single individuals, as in role conflict.

7. Social Change
Any shift in various aspects of the
society, may it be large-scale
transformation in social structure,
culture, and institutions or small-scale
change in local meanings and
interaction is considered as social
change.

8. Social Problem
The term “social problem” is
usually taken to refer to social
conditions that disrupt or damage
society—crime, racism, and the
like.

9. Significance
& Nature of
Social
Processes

10.  The system of social interaction is called social
process. The fundamental ways in which people
establish social relationship and interact are called
social process. It refers to the repetitive forms of
behavior which are commonly found in social life.
Social interaction normally occurs in the form of
accommodation, assimilation, cooperation,
competition and conflict. These forms of social
interaction are also called as social processes.

11. Significance of Social Processes
Existence of society is based on social
processes. To understand every society
it is relevant and important to the study
the nature of social processes
particularly society. Social processes is
the basis of not only society but of
culture as well.

12. Significance of Social Processes
 Both culture and society are the products of social
processes. Thus, society has risen out of social
processes. Its very existence is impossible without
social processes. They form the ground on which
culture arises and thus ensure its continued existence.
Hence, the study of social processes should in fact be
the first step to the study of society itself. An
understanding of social processes is an essential
prerequisite for the understanding of social relations.

13. Significance
& Nature of
Social Control

14.  Social control is necessary for an orderly social life. The
society has to regulate and pattern individual behavior
to maintain normative social order. Without social
control the organization of the society is about to get
disturbed.
 According to Kimball Young, it is necessary “to bring
about conformity, solidarity and continuity of a particular
group or society”. It is possible only through social
control. Society has to make use of its mechanism to
accomplish the necessary order and discipline.

15. Significance of Social Control:
1. To maintain the old order
2. Regulation of Individual Social Behavior
3. To Establish Social Unity
4. To bring Solidarity
5. To bring Conformity in Society
6. To Provide Social Sanction

16. Theories of
Processes
Social
Control

17. Parsons’ Approach to Social
Control: Theory of Action
 Talcott Parsons was a
functionalist heavily
influenced by the writings of
Emile Durkhriem and Max
Weber
 An American Sociologist
 Focus on theoretical work

18. Talcott Parsons (1937) developed one of
the earliest sociological perspectives on
social control. He argued that conformity
was not just produced by external
agencies coercing individuals to obey rules
through the threat of punishment, but also
through individuals internalizing norms and
values through socialization.

19. “Every action is a product
of interaction of dynamic
and controlling forces”

20. Parsons also developed a four-sub-system
model applicable to the social system.
THE AGIL SCHEME
1. Adaptation
2. Goal-attainment
3. Integration
4. Latency

21. Talcott Parsons attempted to develop and
perfect a general analytic model suitable for
analyzing all types of collectivities.
Parsons explored why societies are stable and
functioning. His model is AGIL, which
represents the four basic functions that all
social systems must perform if they are to
persist. It was one of the first open systems
theories of organizations.

22. 1. Adaptation: (Economy)
Getting resources from the environment
Distributing the resources throughout the
system

23. 2. Goal-Attainment: (Politics)
How does the system use resources to
meet its goal?
How does the system use power to
make decisions?

24. 3. Latency : (Moral Commitment)
 function to make the system intact
 function to ensure conformity
Achieved via social institution

25. 4. Integration: (Legal System)
Implements norms, controls and
regulate actions

26. Matza’s Techniques of
Neutralization/ Drift Theory
David Matza and Gresham Sykes posit that
conduct which undermines social norms and
beliefs is accompanied by shame and guilt,
which serve to dissuade many individuals from
engaging in delinquency or crime.

27. Matza and Sykes focused particularly on the
following five techniques of neutralization:
1. Denial of Victims
2. Condemnation of condemners
3. Appeal to higher loyalties
4. Denial of Responsibility
5. Denial of Injury

28. Marxist Approaches to Social
Control:
Marxist see the criminal justice system as
part of repressive state apparatus and
used by the ruling class to maintain their
power through oppression whilst
appearing to be legitimate.

29. Marxist theory holds that a dominant class
safeguards and promotes its economic
interests via its control of criminal law as well
as cultural norms.
Consequently, the normative standards,
whether formal or informal, which the
members of a society are expected to
conform to, according to Marxism, are merely
values of the ruling oppressors.

30. Interactionist Approaches to Social
Control:
According to interactionism, crime is a
social construct, and stereotypical
assumptions pervade the labelling of the
purported powerless by the oppressive
agents of social control.

31. Interactionists argue that some
delinquents and criminals escape
labelling, but that the powerless
generally tend to receive these labels.
The theorists further demand policies
that pretermit labelling minor infractions
as deviant.

32. Hirchi’s Control Theory
Travis Hirschi’s theory posits that deviance and
crime are induced by the weakening of an
individual’s bonds to society (Hirschi, 1969;
Hirschi & Gottfredson, 1983). Strong
attachment, conversely, engenders conformity.

33. Hirchi’s adduced four types of bonds as the
essential constituents of the glue that holds a
society together:
 Attachment
 Involvement
 Commitment
 Belief

34. Hirchi’s suggests that the underclass are more
likely to lack impulse control and bonds to the
community which prevent them from
committing crime.

35. Meaning of
Social
Process

36. Society is defined as web of social
relationships. These social relationships
may be understood by the kind of
interactions they exhibit. The ways in which
individuals and groups interact and
establish social relationships is called the
“social processes”. Social processes also
refer to forms of social interaction that
occur repeatedly.

37. Various social processes occur in
society. These social processes are
part of social life. The social
processes have a role in shaping the
society, helping to adjust the parts
and maintain the social system as a
whole in one way or the other.

38. Some definitions of Social
Processes:

39. According to Ginsberg:
“Social processes mean the
various modes of interaction
between individuals or
groups including cooperation
and conflict, social
differentiation and
integration, development,
arrest and decay”.

40. According to Horton and Hunt:
“The term social process refers to the
repetitive form of behavior which is
commonly found in social life”.

41. According to Gillin and Gillin, “By social
process we mean those ways of
interacting which we can observe when
individuals and groups meet and
establish system of relationships of what
happens when changes disturb already
existing modes of life.”

42. Types of Social
Processes

43. Although there are hundreds of social
processes, only some processes are found to
appear repeatedly in society. These social
processes can broadly be divided into two main
categories:
1. Associative or Conjunctive
2. Dissociative or Disjunctive

44. Associative or Conjunctive:
Social processes which leads to positive
results is called an associative or
conjunctive social process. These social
processes work for solidarity and benefit of
society. These are also known conjunctive
social processes.

45. Dissociative or Disjunctive:
Social process which leads to negative
results is called dissociative processes.
These social processes result in the
disintegration of society. These are also
known as disjunctive social processes.

46. Meaning of
Social
Control

47. What is Social Control?
Is a tool used by societal groups to maintain
order and ensure that their collective will is
being followed by members. It is also a process
by which members of a group regulate
themselves to prevent negative deviance and
preserve the beliefs, principles, and values that
are generally accepted.

48. TYPES OF SOCIAL
CONTROL
1. Formal Social Control
2. Informal Social Control

49. Formal Social Control:
Involves the promulgation of codified
laws embodying values, and the
enforcement of external sanctions by the
government in order to prevent chaos in
society.

50. Informal Social Control:
Refers to the internalization of normative
mores through either unconscious or
conscious socialization. The special
respect accorded to the elderly, a salient
characteristics of many Asian cultures, is
a manifest examples.

51. Examples of Social Control:
Shaming
Job Promotion
Curfews
Dress Codes
Praising
Capital
Punishment
Stigmatization
Social Status
Prison
Confinement

52. Agencies of Social Control:
Education
Family
Community
Criminal Justice System

53. Writers of
Social
Control

54. Max Weber (1864-1920)
Much of Weber’s works was a critique or
clarification of Marx
His most famous work, The Protestant
Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism
Weber was also interested in
bureaucracies and the process of
rationalizing in society.

55. Emile Durkheim (1858-1917)
Durkheim moved sociology fully into the realm
of an empirical science
Most well known empirical study is called
Suicide, where he looks at the social causes of
suicide.
Generally regarded as the founder of
Functionalist theory.

56. Karl Marx (1818-1883)
 Marx is the father of conflict theory
 Saw human history in a continual state of conflict between
two major classes:
Bourgeoisie- owners of the means of production
Proletariat- the workers
 Predicted the revolution would occur producing first a
socialist state, followed by a communist society.

57. Herbert Spencer (1820-1903)
Authored the first sociology text, Principles of
Sociology
Most well known for proposing a doctrine
called “Social Darwinism”
Suggested the idea of the survival of the fittest