The term social control proposed. What are the main means of social control

Lesson 6social control

Target: formation of an idea of ​​social norms and sanctions, of social control as a special mechanism for maintaining public order.

Tasks:

Educational: introduce the concepts of social norms, social control, formal and informal sanctions.

Developing: to form the ability to compare, generalize, identify signs of phenomena, trace cause-and-effect relationships.

Educational: develop social skills.

Lesson type: learning new knowledge.

Equipment: multimedia projector, computer, presentation, handouts (test, tasks).

During the classes:

І. Organizing time

ІІ. Definition of the topic, objectives of the lesson, the place of the lesson in the block system.

Task to determine the topic of the lesson.

Find a concept that generalizes to all the other concepts of the series below, and write down the number under which it is indicated.

etiquette; 2. social control; 3. legal norms; 4. promotion; 5.punishment.

So the topic of our lesson is "Social control"

Epigraph

Conscience is the law of laws.

Alphonse de Lamartine ( French writer and poet, politician. )

What is our goal?

Purpose: to find out the features of social control, to show the importance of norms and sanctions for maintaining public order.

ІІІ. new material

problem setting, can be written on the board so that students can see it in front of them during the lesson.

Problem task:

Is social control necessary today? Is he the spokesman for the "Conscience of Society"?

Plan for studying new material:

1. Social control.

2. Elements of social control (norms and sanctions).

3. Forms of control.

4. Ways to implement social control in the group and society.

1. social control.

Joint life and activities require streamlining relations between people, establishing certain rules aimed at protecting their safety, coordinating actions, maintaining the integrity of society. This is possible thanks to the social control that accompanies a person throughout his life. No society can do without social control. Even a small group of people randomly gathered together will have to develop their own control mechanisms so as not to fall apart in the shortest possible time.

social control - a system of ways in which society influences the activity, behavior of a person, social groups.

In a broad sense social control can be defined as a combination of all types of control that exist in society: moral, state control, etc.

In a narrow sense it is the control of public opinion, the publicity of the results and assessments of the activities and behavior of people.

What are the functions of social control?

First, they promote social integration, that is, the preservation of cohesion in society.

Secondly, they serve as a kind of standard of behavior, a kind of instructions for individuals and social groups performing certain roles.

Thirdly, they contribute to the control of deviant behavior.

Fourth, ensure the stability of society.

By the nature of regulation, norms-expectations and norms-rules are distinguished. The norms belonging to the second group are more strict. Violation of such norms entails the application of serious sanctions, such as criminal or administrative.

2. Elements of social control (norms and sanctions).

Teacher's comments on the diagram

Social norms vary in scope. Some norms arise and exist only in small groups - companies of friends, work teams, families, sports teams. Other norms arise and exist in large groups or in society as a whole and are called " general rules " rather than " group habits " . The "general rules" include customs, traditions, mores, laws, etiquette, behaviors that are inherent in a particular social group.

All social norms can be classified depending on how strictly their implementation is observed. For violation of some norms, a very weak punishment follows - disapproval, a smirk, an unfriendly look. Violation of other norms is followed by very strong sanctions - expulsion from the country, the death penalty, imprisonment. Violation of taboos and legal laws is punished most severely (for example, killing a person, divulging state secrets), the mildest of all - certain types of group habits, in particular family ones (for example, refusing to turn off the light or close the front door). However, there are group habits that are highly valued and for the violation of which severe sanctions follow.

Norms bind people into a single community, into a team.

- How does this happen?

Firstly, norms are also expectations: from a person who observes this norm, others expect quite unambiguous behavior. When some pedestrians move on the right side of the street, and those who go to the meeting move on the left, there is an ordered, organized interaction. When a rule is broken, collisions and confusion occur.

This means that the norms form a system of social interaction, which includes the motives, goals of the subjects of action, the action itself, expectation, evaluation and means.

- Why do people strive to comply with the rules, and society strictly monitors this ?

Social norms are really guardians of order and keepers of values. Even the simplest norms of behavior embody what is valued by a group or society. The difference between a norm and a value is expressed as follows: norms are rules of behavior, values ​​are abstract concepts of what is good, evil, right, wrong, proper, improper, and so on.

And here, Social sanctions - security guards. Along with values, they are responsible for why people strive to comply with norms. Norms are protected from two sides - from the side of values ​​and from the side of sanctions.

Fill in the table (slide 10-11) Run time 5 minutes

Types of sanctions

Establish a correspondence between positive sanctions and examples illustrating them.

3. Forms of control.

teacher comments eat scheme.

Sanctions play a key role in the system of social control. Together with values ​​and norms, they constitute its mechanism.

The application of social sanctions in some cases requires the presence of outsiders, while in others it does not. The dismissal is formalized by the personnel department of the institution and involves the preliminary issuance of an order or order. Imprisonment requires a complex procedure of judicial proceedings, on the basis of which a court decision is made. The assignment of a scientific degree involves an equally complex procedure for defending a scientific dissertation and the decision of the Academic Council.

If the application of sanctions is committed by the person himself, directed at himself and occurs inside, then this form of control should be considered self-control. Conscience is a manifestation of inner self-control.

The more self-control developed in the members of a society, the less this society has to resort to external control.

External social control is divided intoinformal and formal.

First is based on approval or condemnation from a group of relatives, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, as well as from public opinion, which is expressed through traditions and customs or the media.

formal control carried out by the courts, education, the army, production, the media, political parties, the government. The school controls thanks to examination marks, the government - thanks to the system of taxation and social assistance to the population, the state - thanks to the police, the secret service, state radio, television channels and the press.

Establish a correspondence between the manifestations of social control and its forms.

4. Ways to implement social control in the group and society.

- through socialization (socialization, shaping our desires, preferences, habits and customs, is one of the main factors of social control and establishing order in society);

- through group pressure (each individual, being a member of many primary groups, must share a certain minimum of cultural norms accepted in these groups and behave appropriately, otherwise condemnation and sanctions from the group may follow, ranging from simple remarks to expulsion from given basic heading);

- through coercion (in a situation where an individual does not want to comply with laws, regulatory regulators, formalized procedures, a group or society resorts to coercion to force him to do like everyone else).

І V. Summarizing

- Do we need social control today? Is he the spokesman for the "Conscience of Society"?

Formulation of your answer to a problematic task using the POPS formula

P - position (your point of view, the assumption "I believe that ...")

O - justification (proof of your position "Because...")

P - example (when explaining your position, use the specific example “I can confirm this by the fact that ...”)

C - consequence (as a result, the conclusion is “In this regard ...”)

Performance 1-2 minutes, consists of 4-5 sentences.

It is advisable to listen to several positions, draw a conclusion on the assignment.

Let's conclude: The main task of social control is to create conditions for the stability of a particular social system, maintaining social stability and, at the same time, for positive changes. This requires great flexibility from the control, the ability to recognize deviations from social norms of activity: dysfunctional, harmful to society, and necessary for its development, which should be encouraged.

V. Anchoring

Read the text below with a number of words missing. Choose from the proposed list of words that you want to insert in place of the gaps.

Social norms constitute one of the elements of the mechanism for regulating relations between the individual and society, which is called ______ (A). Another element is _________ (B), which is understood as the reaction of society to the behavior of a person or group. They mean either approval and encouragement - ______ (C), or disapproval and punishment _______ (D).

Along with external control on the part of society, group, state, other people, internal control, or _______ (D), in which ________ (E) plays an important role, i.e. the feeling and knowledge of what is good and what is bad, the subjective consciousness of the conformity or inconsistency of one's own behavior with moral standards.

1) positive sanctions 6) social norms

2) self-control 7) social control

3) honor 8) conscience

4) social sanctions 9) negative sanctions

5) informal sanctions

Answer: 741928

VІ. Reflection

What they wanted?

What have you achieved?

How was this achieved?

VІІ. Homework. Abstract

social control- this is a set of means by which a society or a social community (group) ensures the behavior of its members in accordance with accepted norms (moral, legal, aesthetic, etc.), and also prevents deviant acts, punishes deviants or corrects them.

The main means of social control are as follows:

1. Socialization, ensuring the perception, assimilation and implementation by the individual of social norms accepted in society.

2. Upbringing- the process of systematic influence on the social development of the individual in order to form her needs and habits to comply with the norms prevailing in society.

3. group pressure, characteristic of any social group and expressed in the fact that each individual in the group must fulfill a certain set of requirements and instructions emanating from the group that correspond to the norms adopted in it.

4. Compulsion- the application of certain sanctions (threat, punishment, etc.), forcing individuals and their groups to comply with the norms and rules of behavior prescribed by society (community).

Among the methods of social control, the most commonly used, as established by T. Parsons, are:

1. Insulation, those. excommunication of the deviant from other people (for example, imprisonment).

2. Isolation- limiting the deviant's contacts with other people, but not completely isolating him from society (for example, a written undertaking not to leave, house arrest, placement in a psychiatric hospital).

3. Rehabilitation, those. preparation of deviants for a normal life (for example, in groups of anonymous alcoholics).

Social control over deviation is divided into two main types. Informal social control includes social encouragement, punishment, persuasion or reassessment of existing norms, replacing them with new norms that are more in line with changed social institutions. Formal control is carried out by social institutions and organizations specially created by the society. Among them, the main role is played by the police, the prosecutor's office, the court, and the prison.

Social control, with all the variety of means, methods and types, is called upon to be guided in a democratic society by several fundamental principles.

Firstly, the implementation of legal and other norms functioning in society should stimulate socially useful behavior and prevent socially harmful, and even more so socially dangerous actions.

Secondly, Sanctions must correspond to the severity and social danger of the deed, without closing in any case the path to the social rehabilitation of the individual.

Third, Whatever sanction is applied to the deviant, it should in no case humiliate the dignity of the individual, coercion should be combined with persuasion, and individuals who have committed deviant behavior should be educated in a positive attitude towards the law, towards the moral standards of society.

Thus, social control- this is a specific activity aimed at maintaining the behavior of an individual, group or society in accordance with accepted norms through social influence.

Such activity is of a superstructural nature, but is objectively inevitable for organizing the life of society, in particular production (it does not directly create a product, but without it, in the end, this product would not be possible).

The specific functions of social control in the sphere of labor are:

Stabilization and development of production (the behavior of the employee is controlled in terms of the results of labor, interaction with others, productivity, etc.);

Economic rationality and responsibility (control over the use of resources, saving property and optimizing labor costs);

Moral and legal regulation (organizational and labor discipline - observance of morality and law in the relationship of subjects of labor activity);

Physical protection of a person (compliance with safety regulations, working hours, etc.);

Moral and psychological protection of the employee, etc.

Thus, in the sphere of labor, social control pursues both production-economic and social-humanitarian goals.

Social control has a complex structure, which consists of three interrelated processes: observation of behavior, evaluation of behavior in terms of social norms, reaction to behavior in the form of sanctions.

These processes testify to the presence of social control functions in labor organizations. Depending on the nature of the sanctions or incentives used, social control can be of two types: economic(benefits, incentives, penalties) and moral(demonstration of respect, contempt, sympathy). Depending on the controlled subject, various types of social control can be distinguished - external, mutual and self-control.

At external control its subject is outside the controlled system of relations and activities: it is the control exercised by the administration in the labor organization.

Administrative control has a number of advantages. First of all, it is a special and independent activity. This, on the one hand, relieves personnel directly involved in the main production tasks from control functions, on the other hand, it contributes to the implementation of control functions at a professional level.

Administrative control has its own specific motivation, reflecting the peculiarities of the attitude of the administration to the issues of discipline in the sphere of labor. It is based on both material and moral interest inherent in managers.

Firstly, the organizational and labor order is considered as a prerequisite for the socio-economic existence and well-being of the organization. In the event of the collapse or bankruptcy of a labor organization, an ordinary employee loses only a job, while the managerial layer, the owners lose their capital, authority, prestigious occupation and social position.

Secondly, each leader, as a representative of the institution of administration, is morally responsible for the staff, requires subordinates to comply with established norms in their own interests, while showing a kind of paternalistic attitude towards people.

Thirdly, the moral interest on the part of the administration to organizational and labor discipline lies in the fact that the very construction of order is the creative side of managerial work, which enhances its attractiveness.

Fourthly, any control is a way to maintain power, subordination: control is weakened, and influence on people is also weakening.

Mutual control arises in a situation in which the bearers of social control functions are the subjects of organizational and labor relations themselves, who have the same status. This either supplements or replaces administrative control. From the point of view of discipline in the sphere of work, not only individuals are capable of controlling each other (this experience is quite widespread in the West), but also entire groups, if they are sufficiently united on the basis of material and moral interest. There are various forms of mutual control - collegial, group, public.

self control- this is a specific way of behavior of the subject, in which he independently (without external coercion) exercises supervision over his own actions, behaves in accordance with socially accepted norms. The main advantage of self-control is the reduction of control activities on the part of the administration. In addition, it gives the employee a sense of freedom, independence, personal significance. In some cases, self-control is more competent.

The disadvantages of self-control are mainly two circumstances: each employee, in assessing his own behavior, tends to underestimate social and regulatory requirements, to be liberal in relation to himself; in addition, self-control is poorly predictable and manageable, dependent on the subject, manifests itself only with such personal qualities as consciousness, morality, decency, etc.

Within the framework of the classification of social control, it is possible to distinguish not only its types, but also types. The latter distinguish social control from the point of view not of subjects, but of the nature of its implementation.

1. Solid and selective. Social control may be different in such important characteristics as intensity, object, content of behavior. With complete social control, the entire process of organizational and labor relations and activities is subjected to constant monitoring and evaluation; all individuals and microgroups that make up the labor organization are equally the object of attention.

With selective control, its functions are relatively limited, extending only to the most important. For example, only final results, the most important tasks and functions or periods of their implementation, the most “sore spots” in the discipline according to enterprise statistics, only a certain (doubtful) part of the personnel, etc. are observed and evaluated. The choice of the type of social control is determined by many factors: the individual characteristics of the subject of control, fashion, traditions in the style of management, the quality and condition of the staff, the objective specifics of controlled behavior (for example, the specifics of labor and its organization).

The degree and scale of social control is influenced by the actual statistics of organizational and labor violations, as well as an assessment of their likelihood. If serious violations are not noted for a sufficiently long time, this contributes to the liberalization of control, its selectivity; if, against a relatively normal background, violations suddenly occur, then the control functions awaken again, taking on a “just in case” continuous character.

The concept of "meaningful" reflects the depth, seriousness, effectiveness of control, and the concept of "formal" - its superficiality, visibility, unprincipledness. In the case of formal control, it is not the quality of organizational and labor relations and activities (their meaning) that is subjected to observation and evaluation, but external signs that can create the effect of plausibility, normality. The most obvious signs of formal control in a labor organization are: stay at the workplace, and not actual participation in the work process; external activity, not actual results; performance, not performance.

Formal control stimulates the so-called imitative (quite common in life) behavior, when a person, as an employee and economic figure, does not comply with the requirements of discipline, but imitates such compliance; by certain actions, he only reproduces the external signs of relations and activities to the extent that this satisfies those around him and himself. With a sufficient analysis of the problem, it turns out that in the organizational and labor sphere there are potentially great opportunities for imitation of activity, conscientiousness, adherence to principles, diligence, deliberation and other components of discipline.

3. Open and hidden. Despite the seeming simplicity and specificity, these types reflect rather complex phenomena in the organizational and labor sphere. The choice of an open or hidden form of social control is determined by the degree of awareness, awareness of the social control functions of those who are the object of these functions. Hidden control in labor organizations is ensured by observation using technical means, the unexpected appearance of formal or informal controllers, and the collection of information through intermediaries.

An important aspect of social control is the certainty of requirements and sanctions. The presence of such certainty prevents the unexpectedness of social control, which contributes to its open character.

Summing up what has been said, it should be noted that the rules of conduct governing the interaction of employees are social norms- a set of expectations and requirements of the labor organization to its members regarding labor behavior, - regulating their interaction in the process of labor activity. The norms, as a rule, fix typical, mandatory and permissible options for labor behavior. Social norms perform two functions: prescriptive when they set proper behavior, they act as a measure of its acceptable options, and appraisal, when they are the benchmark against which actual behavior is compared.

The action of social control is reduced mainly to the application of sanctions. Sanction- a preventive measure applied to the violator of social restrictions and having certain adverse consequences for him. There are sanctions formal- applied by the administration in accordance with established criteria and legislation, and informal-spontaneous reaction of members of the labor organization (collective condemnation, refusal to contact, etc.). Sanctions and incentives, counteracting undesirable behavioral acts and encouraging employees to appropriate labor behavior, contribute to the formation of their awareness of the need to comply with certain norms and regulations.

We all live surrounded by people, sharing our joys and sorrows with them. But not everyone wants to obey social norms and rules. For a certain orderliness of society, the concept of "social control" was introduced. These new phenomena in society are very effective. We all remember the social censure developed during the heyday of the USSR. When a person did not want to work or acted as a hooligan, he was taken on bail, but the whole society was condemned for such inappropriate behavior. And it worked! A person, perhaps not of his own free will, but began to change. As a result, the society achieved its goal. Social control was introduced for the same purpose - to streamline interpersonal and social relations.

Social control: concept, types, functions

A society can be called organized and relatively safe only if there are mechanisms for self-control of citizens and social control of the state. The higher the first concept is developed, the less social surveillance will be required from the authorities. Self-control is the responsible behavior of an adult who has developed the skills of volitional effort on himself at the level of self-awareness, control over his behavior in accordance with generally accepted norms in society.

Capricious, impulsive, spontaneously inherent in children. An adult, on the other hand, has internal self-control in order not to create conflict or other unfavorable situations for himself and for society. If a society consists of people with an underdeveloped sense of responsibility, then it needs to be introduced formal types of social control by special bodies. But we must not forget that constant hard oppression gradually makes self-control less and less significant, and, as a result, society is degrading, as there are fewer and fewer people who are able to think responsibly and control their will.

What are the main types of public control?

The existing types of social behavior management are divided into two large sections, which are called formal and informal.

The essence of formal control lies in the implementation of legislative and rational regulation by state authorities and supervision of the behavior of citizens. In case of violation of the norms, the state applies sanctions.

Formal control was preceded by informal control, which still takes place in society. Its essence lies in the self-organization of a certain social group, where the rules are not written, but are regulated by the opinions of group members, authoritative personalities, and elders.

How is formal control carried out?

Formal control has its roots in the historical period of the formation of forms of social organization that goes beyond simple, that is, state. Today, the state form of organization of society has reached such a level of development that such types of social control as formal, simply must be highly organized. The larger the state, the more difficult it is to organize public order. Formal control is the organization of order on the territory of the entire state, that is, it has a global scale. Its functions are carried out by special people who receive state salaries (judges, policemen, psychiatrists). The developing social control in society, its types led to the organization of entire institutions, structures and authorized bodies. These are the police, the prosecutor's office, courts, schools, the media and similar institutions.

Features of informal control

Informal management of behavior at the level of a large society is inefficient. It is localized and restricted to group members. For violation of the norms established in such social groups, punishment is applied that takes the form of threats or real actions: physical impact on a person, rejection in communication, reproaches, ridicule, various kinds of censure ... Informal types and forms of social control do not neglect sanctions in the form exclusion from the community, the so-called ostracism. For a person to whom this group is important, such an action is very noticeable. He feels empty and hopeless. This prompts him to take various actions to return to such a group or, conversely, to replace interests and reassess values.

The degree of cohesion of the members of a social group, unity in goals, in opinion depends on how effective informal types and forms of social control, the level of its organization will be. Take, for example, a rural community of the past, whose traditions have been preserved in places to this day - there were no clearly defined rules, but the preservation of rituals, various ceremonies brings up social behavior, norms and a deep understanding of the need to comply with them.

Socialization as a form of control

In a traditional society with unwritten informal rules, the essence and types of social control differ significantly from a modern developed society, where all norms of behavior of individuals are strictly prescribed and clothed in a set of laws. Sanctions in such a group of people are imposed in the form of fines, prison terms, administrative, disciplinary and criminal liability. To reduce violations of the law, the state, through its institutions and structures, is taking measures to socialize society - through education, cultural work, propaganda through the media, and so on.

coercion of man

If the methods of socialization do not work, it is necessary to apply such types and methods of social control as coercion. If an individual does not want to voluntarily obey, society forces him to do so by force. Coercion includes the main types of social control, which are described in the norms of each state, based on its norms and laws. Coercion can be local, preventive, for example, at the place of work, using the basic laws of the state. It can also be carried out immediately without warning, using harsh forms of influence on a person. Such a coercive type of social control is the psychological impact on the individual through psychiatric clinics with the use of drug treatment.

Forms of Human Responsibility

If a person does not show responsibility in work or behavior, the state assumes the functions of educating such a citizen by various methods. These methods are not always as humane as we would like. For example, supervision is not a very humane form of instilling responsibility on the part of the state. It is carried out in different ways.

Supervision can be general, when the supervisory body monitors the implementation of general norms, without going into details, looking only at the final result. It can also be detailed, when the controller agent monitors every detail, regulating the implementation of the necessary norms at each stage. Supervision on a state scale can take on such forms when not only behavior, but also thoughts and private life are regulated. That is, the state takes the form of total control, brings up denunciation, applies censorship, surveillance and other methods.

In a developed civil democratic society, social control (types of sanctions) is not total. Citizens are brought up responsible behavior that does not require coercion. Responsibility can be political, moral, legal, financial. Group and collective responsibility, fastened by cultural values, traditions and norms, is very important. When a person is in a team, he has a desire to correspond to a significant group of people. He, without noticing, is changing, trying to imitate the members of the team. Such a change in behavior does not imply pressure and violent influence on the individual.

Implementation of internal control

Internal behavior management implies the concept and types of social control that regulate measures aimed at the effective implementation by citizens of structural units of the tasks assigned to them. Thus, an auditing and controlling body is being formed that checks the financial part, economic and job descriptions, compliance with sanitary and epidemiological standards, and the like.

On the other hand, internal control is understood as the responsibility of a person. An educated and responsible person will not allow himself to commit offenses or any actions that are contrary to the basic norms of society. Self-control is brought up in childhood. But also with the help of certain methods a person can be encouraged to take responsibility and regulate their behavior, emotions, words and actions.

What are the main functions of social control?

Internal social control, the types, functions that it is characterized by is the controllability of powers to avoid abuse in the workplace, checking the workflow and the safety of material assets. As for the functions of social control in general, they can be divided into:

1. Regulatory.
2. Protective.
3. Stabilizing.

Regulatory - ensures the regulation of relations and their management at all stages of the development of society and its levels. Protective - aims to protect all traditional values ​​accepted in society, to stop all attempts to break and destroy these traditions. Stabilizing - takes measures to maintain public order in the norms adopted by law, predicts the behavior of individuals and social groups, preventing actions aimed at destabilizing public order.

A society without values ​​is doomed to destruction. This is what unites and expresses the goals and aspirations of society and its individual citizens. Values ​​have their own classification and hierarchy.

• spiritual;
• material;
• economic;
• political;
• social.

According to direction:

• integrating;
• differentiating;
• approved;
• denied.

They are also divided according to the needs and type of civilization. In general, we can say that values ​​are classified into:

• formed under the influence of traditions and modernity;
• primary basic and secondary;
• expressing the ideals of society (terminal);
• expressing tools for achieving the goal (instrumental).

Whatever type of value it may be, its main task is to be a measure of the level of socialization of society and the implementation of the laws and behavioral norms adopted in it. In the USSR, oddly enough, values ​​were based on the principles of the Bible. A person was condemned for promiscuity, disrespectful attitude towards parents, theft, envy. After the mass revolutions of freedom, the so-called sexual revolutions, the values ​​of society turned upside down. The institution of the family has lost its former significance, children began to show less respect for their parents. Without a foundation, it is difficult to bring up responsibility and control the correct behavior of people. Now social control no longer performs an educational function, but a punitive one.

The Role of Social Control Agents

In modern society, there are certain people - agents who exercise social control. These people have received special training in order to properly organize society. Agents of social control are policemen, doctors (psychiatrists), judges, social workers. They do not work on enthusiasm, but receive a certain payment for their work. Modern society is difficult to imagine without these people, as they are a kind of guarantors of previously adopted decrees, instructions, laws and regulations of the legislative branch of the state.

Social control today is not based on the principle "so the grandmother said", with the loss of the authority of the elders, other control methods appeared, which are determined by the state. At the moment, society is organized by institutions. These institutions are varied:

• militia;
• prosecutor's office;
• places of deprivation of liberty;
• mass media;
• school;
• social services.

These bodies are authorized by the state to maintain, regulate and improve public order through the application of punitive or educational methods to specific people. Naturally, all these methods are used strictly according to the instructions of higher authorities. If a person or a group of people does not heed the recommendations or orders of social control agents, sanctions are applied to them: criminal punishment, disciplinary or administrative liability.

What is social control?

In order to prevent deviation or reduce its level, society and social institutions specially created for this purpose exercise social control. Social control is a set of means by which a society or a social community (group) ensures that the behavior of its members corresponds to accepted norms - (moral, legal, aesthetic, etc.), and also prevents deviant acts, punishes deviants or corrects their. The main direction of these means is embodied in the desire of society or its majority to prevent deviant behavior, punish deviants or return them to a normal (corresponding to functioning standards) life.

What are the main means of social control?

The main means of social control are as follows:

1. Socialization, which ensures the perception, assimilation and implementation by the individual of social norms accepted in society.

2. Education is a process of systematic and purposeful influence on the social development of the individual in order to form her needs and habits to comply with the norms prevailing in society.

3. Group pressure inherent in any social group and expressed in the fact that each individual in the group must fulfill a certain set of requirements, instructions, etc. coming from the group, corresponding to the norms adopted in it.

4. Coercion - the application of certain sanctions (threat, punishment, etc.), forcing individuals and their groups to comply with the norms and rules of behavior prescribed by society (community) and punishing those responsible for violating these norms.

12. What are the methods and principles of social control?

Among the methods of social control used to prevent deviation, reduce its level and guide deviants “on the true path”, the most frequently used, as T. Parsons established, are:

1. Insulation, i.e. excommunication of the deviant from other people (for example, imprisonment).

2. Isolation - limiting the deviant's contacts with other people, but not completely isolating him from society (for example, a written undertaking not to leave, house arrest, placement in a psychiatric hospital).

3. Rehabilitation, i.e. preparation of deviants for a normal life and for the fulfillment of their inherent social roles in society (for example, groups of "anonymous alcoholics" carry out the rehabilitation of persons suffering from drunkenness).

Social control over deviation is divided into two main types. The first of these - informal social control - includes: social encouragement, punishment, persuasion or reassessment of existing norms, replacing them with new norms that are more in line with changed social institutions. The second type of social control over deviation is formal, which is carried out by social institutions and organizations specially created by society. Among them, the main role is played by the police, the prosecutor's office, the court, and the prison.

With all the variety of means, methods and types of social control over deviation, all of them are called upon to be guided in a democratic society by several fundamental principles. The main ones are as follows:

Firstly, the implementation of real legal and other norms functioning in society should stimulate socially useful behavior and prevent socially harmful, and even more so socially dangerous actions.

Secondly, the sanctions applied to deviants must correspond to the severity and social danger of the deed, without closing in any case the path to the social rehabilitation of the deviant.

Thirdly, whatever sanction is applied to the deviant, it should in no case humiliate the dignity of the individual, combine coercion with persuasion, educate individuals who, for one reason or another, have committed deviant behavior, a positive attitude towards the law, towards moral the norms of society.

Social control is a concept in sociology, meaning a purposeful activity to check the functioning of an object for compliance with some criteria. As a rule, public order is maintained in this way. And most often in practice, social control is control over the individual, although nothing prevents you from monitoring different organizations, enterprises, etc. in a similar way. This also often happens.

It should be noted that deviant behavior and social control are inextricably linked. Without one there would be no other and vice versa. It is quite easy to give examples here, for example, alcoholics, drug addicts, representatives of certain subcultures attract the most public attention. Which is quite easy to explain: others involuntarily expect them to violate the order. And this happens quite often.

It should be noted that due to social control, the deviation is either corrected or removed one way or another from society. As a result, stability and security are ensured in this way. And the protective functions of social control are carried out.

But this also has a downside. Controlled behavior often limits individuals in the ability to realize themselves. And in traditional societies quite strongly.

The implicit prohibition of deviant behavior may not be expressed in any written form. Sometimes it exists in the form of morality, traditions, customs. And in this manifestation it is periodically quite rigid, interfering with development.

The development of social control led to the emergence of new varieties. At the same time, the old ones often remain relevant. Thus, their number is increasing. So, social control is presented in the form:

1. moral impact. It is both positive and negative. These are all kinds of ways of moral encouragement, approval of behavior, support, congratulations, expressions of gratitude, gratitude, growing popularity, etc. At the same time, a boycott, a sharply negative reaction, public ridicule, reprimand, censure in other ways act as a negative reaction.
2. State measures. Here the concept of social control is somewhat transformed. Many even put this option in a separate category.
3. legal influence. Law as a means of social influence, obstacles to deviant behavior turned out to be one of the most effective. At the same time, abuse can itself become a violation.
4. Production incentives and punishments. In fact, these are the norms and sanctions that apply to a single enterprise. Often the stimulation of the desired behavior occurs in an economic way.

It is worth noting that social science today distinguishes other varieties. For example, some researchers consider it necessary to point out family control, it is especially strong in relation to adolescents due to the power of parents over children, including legal ones.

Also, social control and deviation in close interaction can be observed in different religious groups. Here moral encouragement and punishment can alternate with quite real hardships and punishments.

Forms of social control

If we talk about the forms of social control, they were replaced as society developed. Historically, these were unspoken rules of conduct, customs and instructions. In the present, they have taken on a more formal character: laws, decrees, orders, instructions, regulations, etc.

Elements of social control

The main elements of social control are norms and sanctions. The first refers to the rules, a specific variant of behavior. It can be either quite strictly regulated (only one way and nothing else, for example, a certain procedure for filing a tax return), or it can involve different options.

Sanctions concern the reaction of society to human behavior. They reward or punish, depending on whether the individual has done what is expected of him or not. In addition, the structure of social control also considers informal and formal sanctions. Let's take a closer look at each variety.

So, formal positive sanctions are official remuneration from state bodies, legal entities, officials, etc. It can be expressed in the form of medals, orders. There is a ceremony of presenting diplomas, honorary awards, memorable gifts and other things.

Informal positive sanctions - public reaction, compliments, praise, smiles, gifts, applause and so on. Often come from relatives or from strangers.

Formal negative sanctions are punishments that are provided for in the legislation. They mean arrest, fine, dismissal, prison term, restriction of some rights for a certain time, deprivation of privileges, etc.

Informal negative sanctions - refusal to communicate with loved ones, neglect, censure, breaking friendships. The individual is periodically perceived much worse than the official ones.

It should be noted that the structure of social control quite allows the application of different sanctions, including the direction, for the same act. And one more thing: norms are also divided into technical and social. The latter reflects social life, trends and much more. Social norms and social control are very closely related to each other.

A social control mechanism?

How exactly does public control work? There are 3 main areas in total:

1. Socialization. As we grow, communicate, build a certain line of behavior in contacts with others, we learn to understand what is condemned by society, and what is approved, why. Here, the methods of social control act slowly and imperceptibly for many, but at the same time they are the most effective. And it is not easy to overcome them even for an outright rebel. Many criminals, for example, reacted more strongly to the reaction of their inner circle than to the fact of breaking the law.
2. Group influence. Every individual is part of some social group. This is a family, a work team, some kind of community with which he identifies himself. And such a unit can have a rather strong impact on him.
3. Various forms of coercion. If for some reason the first 2 methods did not work on a person, then in this case the state, represented by law enforcement agencies, begins to use its force.

Often, all 3 methods mentioned can act simultaneously. Of course, within each group there is a division, since these categories are themselves very general.

Functions of social control

Security has already been mentioned. In addition, social control also stabilizes, so that the foundations do not change with each generation. And the norms themselves are often a kind of yardstick with which the individual compares his actions and evaluates his own behavior. Here it makes sense to talk about inner work with oneself and self-control.

What is combined with external control. It is a combination of different institutions that act on the individual, forcing him one way or another to socially useful behavior and forcing him to abandon what is really dangerous for others.

The Importance of Social Control

The exercise of control by society is a basic condition for the survival of society. Otherwise, individual individuals could simply destroy it. Protection and stabilization have already been mentioned above. It should also be noted that such control acts as a kind of border. It also acts as a deterrent.

That is, any single individual could try to express his dissatisfaction with a neighbor or business partner in a criminal way. Moreover, the effectiveness of the work of law enforcement agencies in certain regions of Russia is so low that not everyone is afraid of the law.

However, the fear of judgment from parents or elders in the settlement is much stronger. He was entrenched in the process of socialization. And therefore, now for individual representatives of society, the word of the head of the family is more important than the law. This can not be called unequivocally positive, but such a deterrent works. Therefore, its importance should not be underestimated.