Social control is very important in developing good morals among the members of the society through conformity to the societal social norms and customs. It refers to the social and political processes used in the society to govern individual and group behaviour with the aim of ensuring compliance to rules provided by the social group, state or society. The meaning has been subject to change overtime as it first meant the ability of the society to regulate itself but today the meaning has changed to individual’s conformity to society norms and customs. Social control is within the socialization process. Social control borrows much from socialization process and thus can be said to have a strong relationship.
Through socialization process, social control develops and become effective. As a fact, societies depend heavily on effective socialization to develop social norms and value that guide and control human behaviour in the society. Nevertheless, through socialization, societies focus on controlling the behaviours of its members subconsciously. Various agencies of socialization such as schools, family, clubs, state just to mention but a few are the agencies of social control. All this agencies play a great role in shaping and exercising regulatory guidance over individual behaviour (Morris 91).
Every social group needs its norms and customs followed in order to ensure harmony and order. Ideally, where order and harmony are lacking in the society, then it is true that there is no society at all since there should be harmony in human relationships. In order to enhance social control the society uses its prescribed norms to govern the conduct of individuals within the society. Social control plays a great role in maintaining order in the society it is very vital for any society that focuses on maintaining social order. This happens only when the members of the society behave with respect with that social order. Ideally, this means that without social control then there will be no social unity. Social control brings uniformity in the society since it provides norms and customs that control the behaviour of each member of the society. For instance, children of the same mother will have different attitudes, interests and habits and so are the members of the society. Each member of the society will have varied interests and habits. As a result, the society presents its members with social norms and customs that make all its members to become uniform.
Socialists argue that there are two classes of social control namely informal and formal. Informal social control means social values that are exercised by the society using particular norms and customs. Such values call for individuals within the society to internalize such values in order to enhance compliance and conformity. Failure to confirm to the customs and norms the society has its own informal sanctions that impel its members to rectify their mistakes and match with the social norms and customs. Some of this informal customs include criticism, disapproval, shame and ridicule among many others. In extreme cases, the sanctions may result to discrimination and exclusion from the society. Once an individual is discriminated of excluded from the society, then such an individual is disowned. Ideally, this means that the society cannot help such a person in case of any need. Besides, it also implies that the society does not involve that person in its societal development conscious programs (Morris 98).
Furthermore, informal social controls may either reward or punish individuals for acceptance and unacceptance behaviour respectively. However, the rewards and punishment emanating from informal social controls differ from individual to individual, society to society and group to group. For instance, in a criminal gang, a strong sanction may arise in the case of someone threatening to report to the authorities of the illegal incidence.
On the other hand, in formal social control, the control revolves around the idea of legal, formal and norms of behaviour. It involves, behaviour rules put down in form of writing for the society to apply equally to everyone. The main agency of formal social control in the society is the police and the judiciary. Ideally, this is to mean that formal controls apply force to the members of the society in order to ensure conformity. This to mean that, failure to conform to this controls members of the society are entitled to severe punishment unlike for the informal social controls. Such punishments may include fines and penalties resulting from lawsuits and jail term (Macionis 200).
Social control has various purposes in restoring and developing members of the society with good morals. First, social control leads to solidarity among the members of the society. Social control builds members with common minds that enhance solidarity. With the integration of solidarity among the members of the society, the society is able to function smoothly. Solidarity among the members of the society helps them to stand strong to all misfortunes of this competitive world. If solidarity fails in a given society, then this society such society become exposed to exploitation by other stronger societies among the world. To build solidarity, social control calls for the society to establish a reasonable balance among its groups that play a role in building confidence among them.
In addition, social control aims at enhancing the continuity of society or social group. Social control is very crucial in promoting survival of a social group by bringing its members together using the social norms and customs. Ideally, the society is able to enhance its continuity through effective control of its members. Once the continuity is built, then the social control of the society become part of its culture that is transformed from one generation to another. As a result, it is true to say that social control functions with tireless efforts of enhancing continuity of the society (Ross, 216).
Furthermore, social controls play a great role in regulating individual behaviour of society members. Every member of the society has his or her own habits and interests, as result, social controls come in to regulate the behaviour of each member of the society using common social norms and customs. Having common rules makes the members of the society to have similar characteristics and thus confirm to them. In so doing, the society is able to grow and develop with one voice thus enhancing solidarity that makes the society strong.
Moreover, social controls are used for fixing cultural mal-adjustments. The society is in a revolution meaning that it is subject to new philosophies and discoveries. As a result, there is a great need for the members of the society to change their behaviour to conform to the modern society. For example, when a member of society moves from the rural area to the city, it is true that the member will experience new cultural standards that may a adjust him or her wrongly to the new cultural environment. It is within such context when social control comes in use to help the member to conform to whatever his or her society wants him or her to stand.
In conclusion, social controls are very important any society since they help the society to remain strong. They play an important role in the development of good morals among the members of the society. Through the social norms and customs provided by the social controls, the society is able to ensure uniformity of all its members. The formal social controls stand to be more severe when it comes to sanctions since failure to adhere to them may land a member of the society in jail thus parting with some cash. However, informal control sanctions may also be severe as a member may be excluded from the society. Overall, this two forms of social control focus on controlling the behaviour of the members of the society. Therefore, it is important for every member of the society to conform and comply to the rules of the society in order to build an effective society (Macionis 202)
Work Cited
Macionis, John J. Sociology. 9th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2003. Print.
Morris Janowitz. Sociological Theory and Social Control. American Journal of Sociology (The University of Chicago Press Article) 1975, 81 (1): 82–108. Print.
Ross, Edward. Social Control: Control A Survey of the Foundations of Order. Piscataway, NJ: .Transcation Publishers, 2009 (1901). Print
