Social Control

Question 1

Define ‘social control’.

Answer 1

The regulation of other people’s behaviour for social purposes.

Question 2

Explain the two goals of psychology that relate to social control.

Answer 2

Prediction of the behaviour allows us to control the behaviour if it is deemed harmful or undesirable.

Question 3

Give an example of where social control may be seen in psychology.

Answer 3

In Learning Psychology where they condition someone to behaviour in a certain way in which they are being socially controlled.

Question 4

Define ‘negative social control’.

Answer 4

The regulation of other people’s behaviour for social purposes through punishment or ridicule.

Question 5

Define ‘positive social control’.

Answer 5

The regulation of other people’s behaviour for social purposes through reward or approval.

Question 6

Identify the 6 types of social control.

Answer 6

1) Legitimate power
2) Reward power
3) Expert power
4) Referent power
5) Coercive power
6) Informational power

Question 7

Define ‘legitimate power’.

Answer 7

The belief that a person has the right to make demands and expect others’ compliance as form of social control.

Question 8

Define ‘reward power’.

Answer 8

The person has the ability to reward another person for their compliance as a form of social control.

Question 9

Define ‘expert power’.

Answer 9

The person has a high level of skills and knowledge gaining more trust from people as a form of social control.

Question 10

Define ‘referent power’.

Answer 10

The person’s perceived attractiveness and respect as a form of social control.

Question 11

Define ‘coercive power’.

Answer 11

The belief that a person can punish others for non-compliance as a form of social control.

Question 12

Define ‘informational power’.

Answer 12

A person’s ability to control the information that they disclose to others to accomplish something as a form of social control.

Question 13

What are the 4 main elements of evaluating issues of social control?

Answer 13

1) Effectiveness of using social control to better someone
2) Choice of the person being controlled and whether or not they should have one
3) Control or cure when using social control
4) Power and the abuse of it

Question 14

Identify 2 areas of Social Psychology that have elements of social control.

Answer 14

1) Jigsaw classroom technique

2) Assertive Community Therapy

Question 15

Describe how the jigsaw technique in Social Psychology has good and bad elements of social control.

Answer 15

GOOD
- It reduces hostility classmates may feel towards each other therefore reducing bullying and its negative effects
BAD
- Teachers have coercive power to punish a student if they do not provide their part of the ‘jigsaw’ that may be compromised of different elements of the same essay to aid the whole group

Question 16

Describe how assertive community therapy in Social Psychology has elements of social control.

Answer 16

C - Gomory (2001) found that some on the programme were offered little choice in decisions and found it patronising - therefore having legitimate power
E - Bond (2000) concluded from 25 studies that ACT was effective at preventing rehospitalisation
S - ACT is insufficient on its own for SZ so needs to be paired with drug therapy of antipsychotics to alleviate positive and negative symptoms of SZ therefore meaning patients experience side effects of weight gain and depression
M - The programme doesn’t cure SZ or alleviate symptoms only provides as a control/aid to helping the individual back into society
P - Mental health patients with severe circumstances may have no choice in what the practitioners help them in however most how choice about the activities they need help with and can ultimately say no to a practitioner’s aid

Question 17

Describe how the findings and conclusions of Sherif’s (1954) study can be used as a form of social control.

Answer 17

F - In Stage 2 friendship levels of the Rattlers were 7% and 6% for the Eagles compared to Stage 3 of 36% for the Rattlers and 23% for the Eagles
C - Increased contact doesn’t reduce hostility but superordinate goals do by working together to achieve a common goal. People also overestimate the abilities of their own groups and underestimate the abilities of out-groups
A - Teachers may use legitimate power to demand students to conform to the jigsaw classroom technique in which they all complete a piece of work that will combine with the whole class’s
A - Coaches may use legitimate and referent power to hold charity football events to raise money for a charity the teams share in common

Question 18

Identify 2 areas of Cognitive Psychology that have elements of social control.

Answer 18

1) EWT and Cognitive Interview

2) Cognitive Behavioural Therapy