2.1 (Explain forms of social control)

Question 1

What is internal social control?

Answer 1

Controls our behaviours from within ourselves

Question 2

What are the 3 examples of internal social control?

Answer 2

• Rational ideology
• Tradition
• Internalisation of social rules

Question 3

What is rational ideology?

Answer 3

The belief that our conscience (which is able to experience feelings of guilt) will guide us to reach law-abiding solutions

Question 4

What is tradition?

Answer 4

• Determines what you think is right/wrong
• Specific to you
• Influenced by religion

Question 5

How is tradition influenced by religion?

Answer 5

• ‘Thou shall not steal’ (one of the 10 commandments)
• Therefore, won’t steal because religion told them they shouldn’t

Question 6

What is internalisation of social rules?

Answer 6

• Our understanding of what behaviour is right/wrong
• e.g. Waiting and not skipping the queue & not cheating on an exam

Question 7

What is external social control?

Answer 7

Controls our behaviour through social agencies

Question 8

What are some examples of social agencies?

Answer 8

• Peers & family
• Education
• CJS
• Coercion

Question 9

What are the 2 examples of external social control?

Answer 9

• Coercion
• Fear of punishment

Question 10

What is coercion?

Answer 10

• A type of deterrence
• Uses the threat of force to make someone do/stop doing something
• e.g. Prison sentence for theft (prevents reoffending)

Question 11

What is fear of punishment?

Answer 11

• A type of deterrence and coercion
• Right realists argue fear of punishment allows us to obey the law

Question 12

What is control theory?

Answer 12

Reasons to abide by the law

Question 13

What are the 2 criminologists for control theory?

Answer 13

• Walter C Reckless
• Travis Hirschi

Question 14

What was Reckless’ control theory?

Answer 14

• He suggested that a combination internal and external containment allows us to refrain from committing crimes
• To maintain social control

Question 15

What is inner containment?

Answer 15

Comes from families through socialisation

Question 16

What is outer containment?

Answer 16

Comes from external forces such as the laws of our society and social groups

Question 17

What was Hirschi’s theory?

Answer 17

• That people must form social bonds to refrain from criminal behaviour
• If their bonds are weak, deviant behaviour is likely to occur

Question 18

What are the 4 social bonds?

Answer 18

• Attachment
• Commitment
• Involvement
• Beliefs

Question 19

What is attachment?

Answer 19

• Care about the opinions of others and respect their norms, making it less likely to break them
• This can form w/ parents and teachers

Question 20

What is commitment?

Answer 20

• Aim to follow a conventional lifestyle (succeeding in education)
• More to lose if we take part in criminal activity
• Therefore, more likely to conform

Question 21

What is involvement?

Answer 21

The more we take part in conventional, law-abiding activities (studying/participating in sports), the less time and energy we will have for committing crimes

Question 22

What are beliefs?

Answer 22

If we have been socialised to believe it is right to obey the law, we are less likely to break it