social control conformity and resistance Flashcards
what is social control
this is how people are made to abide by or conform to the norms and values of the society
what are the agencies of social control
-family
-education
-media
-police
-courts
-prisons
what is conformity
-This is following the norms and values of society
What is resistance
-Ways in which people contests the dominant powers or ideology in society
what is structuralism
-This is the idea that society is structured or organised in a way that influences human behaviour.
-This means that there are forces from out of individuals control that make them to behave in particular ways.
structuralism can be divided into two main categories ;
-Conflict structuralism
-Consensus structuralism
What is Consensus structuralism
-Consensus means general agreement
therefor consensus structuralism refers to the view that society is organised in a way that promotes a general agreement which results to social order.
-functionalism is the main theory under this.For functionalists the society is organised through social institutions (e.g family , education , religion ) playing specific functions important in the maintenance of order and stability in the society .
-When an institution fails to perform a function it is said to be dysfunctional.
What is conflict structuralism
-Believes that society is structured through conflict between different social groups.
-The dominant group is able to promote its interests and create social order that works for it.
Conflict structuralist theories - feminism
-Feminism believes that society is structured in a way that promotes patriarchy .
-They believe that the society is structured through social institutions that work to promote male dominance
Conflict structuralists theories - Marxism
-Marxists theory sees society as divided along lines of economic class between the proletariat working class and the bourgeois ruling class
-If the power of the ruling class is challenged by strikes or protests for example the ruling class can use the law to criminalize those posing a threat and media reporting will be manipulated to give the impression that the ruling class interests are those of the whole nation
-For marxists the appearance of the consensus is an illusion ; it conceals the reality of one class imposing its will on the rest of society.
Coercion
-This is the use of the army , police and other government agencies , to force other classes to accept the ruling class ideology.
What is over-socialised conception of man
-Criticism of the claim that human beings are simply the product of their socialisation and that behaviour can be understood as merely a response to external influence
what are the factors explaining why people conform to social expectations
- Socialisation
-Social pressure
-Social exchange
-Self interest
Explain socialisation as a factor why people conform to social expectations
-The process of primary socialisation leads to internalisation of norms and values making people unconsciously conform to norms and values
Explain social pressure as a factor why people conform to social expectations
-Society may force conformity through pressure from agencies of social control
-This is usually done through negative or positive sanctions
Positive sanctions include- rewards like gifts , praises etc
Negative sanctions include -punishment like ridicule , fines , social exclusion
