Social control concept and form. B.45 Social control: forms and types

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

The main means of social control are as follows:

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

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

3. Group pressure, characteristic of any social group and expressed in the fact that each individual included in the group must fulfill a certain set of requirements and prescriptions 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 the society (community).

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

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

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

3. Rehabilitation, those. preparing deviants for a normal life (for example, in groups of Alcoholics Anonymous).

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.

At first, 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 offense, without in any way blocking the path to social rehabilitation of the individual.

Thirdly, no matter what sanction is applied to the deviant, in no case should it humiliate the dignity of the individual, coercion should be combined with conviction, and individuals who have allowed deviant behavior should be educated to have a positive attitude towards the law and the moral norms 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 impact.

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

The specific functions of social control in the world of work are:

Stabilization and development of production (employee behavior is controlled in terms of labor results, 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 is made up of three interrelated processes: observation of behavior, assessment of behavior from the point of view of social norms, reaction to behavior in the form of sanctions.

These processes indicate the presence of social control functions in labor organizations. Depending on the nature of the sanctions or incentives used, social control is 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 several benefits. First of all, it is a special and independent activity. This, on the one hand, frees the personnel who are 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 world of work. It is based on both material and moral interests inherent in managers.

First, 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 the labor organization, an ordinary employee is only deprived of his job, while the managerial layer, the owners, lose their capital, authority, prestigious occupation and social status.

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 displaying a kind of paternalistic attitude towards people.

Thirdly, the moral interest on the part of the administration in 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 of maintaining power, subordination: control is weakened, and the influence on people also weakens.

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

Self-control- this is a specific way of the subject's behavior, 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, and 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, is inclined to underestimate social and normative requirements, to be liberal in relation to himself; in addition, self-control is poorly predictable and manageable, depends on the subject, manifests itself only with such personal qualities as conscientiousness, 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 of not the subjects, but the nature of its implementation.

1. Solid and selective. Social control can be different in such important characteristics as intensity, object, content of behavior. With continuous social control, the entire process of organizational and labor relations and activities is subject to constant observation and assessment; all individuals and microgroups that make up the labor organization are equally targeted.

Under electoral control, its functions are relatively limited, extending only to the most important thing. For example, only the final results, the most important tasks and functions or the periods of their implementation, the most "sore points" in the discipline according to enterprise statistics, only a certain (questionable) part of the staff, 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 management style, the quality and condition of personnel, 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, on a relatively normal background, abnormalities suddenly occur, then the control functions are awakened again, assuming "just in case" a continuous character.

The concept of "meaningful" reflects the depth, seriousness, effectiveness of control, and the concept of "formal" - its superficiality, visibility, lack of principle. In the case of formal control, it is not the quality of organizational and labor relations and activities (their meaning) that is monitored and evaluated, but external signs that can create the effect of plausibility and normality. The most obvious signs of formal control in a labor organization are: being in the workplace, rather than actually participating in the work process; external activity, not actual results; diligence, not quality of performance.

Formal control stimulates the so-called imitative (quite common in life) behavior, when a person as an employee and an 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 to imitate activity, conscientiousness, adherence to principles, diligence, thoughtfulness and other components of the discipline.

3. Open and hidden. Despite the seeming simplicity and concreteness, 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. Covert control in labor organizations is provided by observation with the help of 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. Having this certainty prevents the unexpectedness of social control, which contributes to its open character.

Summarizing what has been said, it should be noted that the rules of behavior that regulate 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 the typical, mandatory and permissible options for labor behavior. Social norms have two functions: prescribing when they specify the proper behavior, they act as a measure of its acceptable options, and estimated, when they are the benchmark against which actual behavior is compared.

The effect of social control is mainly reduced to the application of sanctions. Sanction- a preventive measure applied to the violator of social restrictions and having certain unfavorable 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 of contacts, etc.). Sanctions and incentives, by counteracting unwanted behavioral acts and encouraging employees to appropriate work behavior, help to form their consciousness 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 that developed during the heyday of the USSR. When a person did not want to work or was a hooligan, he was taken on bail, but the whole society was condemned for such inappropriate behavior. And it worked! The man, 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

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 monitoring will be required from the authorities. Self-control is a 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.

It is capricious, impulsive, spontaneous to act in children. An adult, on the other hand, has internal self-control so as 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 introduce formal types of social control on the part of special bodies. But we must not forget that constant harsh oppression gradually makes self-control less and less significant, and, as a result, society degrades, since 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 management of behavior 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 overseeing the behavior of citizens. In case of violation of the rules, 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 opinion of the members of the group, 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 public organization that goes beyond the 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, are simply obliged to 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 government salaries (judges, police officers, psychiatrists). The developing social control in society, its types have led to the organization of entire institutions, structures and authorized bodies. These are the police, prosecutors, courts, schools, the media and similar institutions.

Features of informal control

Informal behavior management at the level of a large society is ineffective. It is localized and limited 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 influence on the 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 tangible. He feels emptiness and hopelessness. This prompts him to take different actions to return to such a group or, conversely, to replace interests and reassess values.

How effective the informal types and forms of social control, the level of its organization, depend on the degree of cohesion of the members of a social group, unity in goals, in opinion. Take, for example, a rural community of the past, whose traditions have been preserved in places to this day - there were no clearly prescribed rules, but the preservation of rituals and various ceremonies fosters social behavior, norms and a deep understanding of the need to observe 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 the modern developed society, where all norms of individual behavior 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, takes measures to socialize society - through education, cultural work, propaganda through the media, and so on.

Forcing a person

If the methods of socialization do not work, you have 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 it in a violent way. 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, precautionary, for example, at the place of work, using the basic laws of the state. It can also be carried out immediately without warning, with the use of harsh forms of influence on a person. Such a compulsory 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 takes on the functions of educating such a citizen by different 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 authority monitors the implementation of general norms, without going into details, looks only at the final result. It can also be detailed, when the agent-controller monitors every little thing, regulating the execution of the necessary norms at every stage. State-wide supervision can turn into such forms when not only behavior is regulated, but also thoughts and private life. That is, the state takes the form of total control, fosters denunciation, uses censorship, surveillance and other methods.

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

Internal control

Internal behavior management implies the concept and types of social control that regulate measures aimed at the effective implementation of the tasks assigned to them by citizens of structural units. Thus, an audit and control body is 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. A well-mannered 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 by which it is characterized - is the controllability of powers to avoid abuses in the workplace, checking the workflow and safety of material values. 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 the traditional values ​​adopted in society, to suppress 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 the focus:

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

Whatever type of value may be, its main task is to be a measure of the level of socialization of society and the implementation of laws and behavioral norms adopted in it. In the USSR, oddly enough, values ​​were built on the principles of the Bible. The person was condemned for promiscuous sex, disrespectful attitude towards parents, theft, envy. After the massive revolutions of freedom, the so-called sexual revolutions, the values ​​of society have turned upside down. The institution of the family has lost its former significance, children have begun to show less respect for their parents. Without a foundation, it is difficult to cultivate 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 the society. Social control agents are police officers, doctors (psychiatrists), judges, social workers. They do not work on enthusiasm, but receive a certain payment for their work. It is difficult to imagine modern society without these people, since they are a kind of guarantors of previously adopted decrees, instructions, laws and decisions of the legislative power of the state.

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

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

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

It is divided into two types:

• self-control- the application of sanctions, committed by the person himself, aimed at himself;
• external control- a set of institutions and mechanisms that guarantee the observance of generally accepted norms of behavior and laws.

External control is:

• informal - based on the approval or condemnation of relatives, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, as well as public opinion, which is expressed through customs and traditions or the media;
• formal - based on the approval or condemnation of the official authorities and administration.

In modern society, in a complex society, in a country of many millions, it is impossible to maintain order and stability by informal methods, since informal control is limited to a small group of people, therefore it is called local. On the contrary, formal controls operate throughout the country. It is carried out by agents of formal control - specially trained persons who receive wages for performing control functions, carriers of social status and roles - judges, law enforcement officers, social workers, church ministers, etc. In traditional society, social control was based on unwritten rules. For example, in a traditional rural community, there were no written norms; the church was organically woven into a single system of social control.

In modern society, the basis of social control is the norms fixed in the documents - instructions, decrees, decrees, laws. Formal control is exercised by such institutions of modern society as courts, education, the army, production, the media, political parties, and the government. The school controls us through exam grades, the government through the system of taxation and social assistance to the population, the state through the police, the secret service, state television, press and radio.

Depending on the applied sanctions, control methods are:

• straight hard; tool - political repression;
• indirect rigid; instrument - economic sanctions of the international community;
• straight soft; instrument - the operation of the constitution and the criminal code;
• indirect soft; the tool is the media.

Organizations control:

• general (if the manager gives the subordinate a task and does not control the progress of its implementation);
• detailed (if the manager intervenes in every action, corrects, etc.); such control is also called supervision.

Supervision takes place not only at the micro level, but also at the macro level.

At the macro level, the supervising subject is the state - police stations, informant services, prison guards, escort troops, courts, censorship.

An organization and society as a whole can be overwhelmed by a myriad of norms. In such cases, the population refuses to comply with the norms, and the authorities are not able to control every little thing. However, it has long been noticed: the worse the laws are executed, the more of them are published. The population is protected from regulatory overloads by their failure to fulfill them. If most of the people for whom a given norm is designed to circumvent it, the norm is considered dead.

People will necessarily not comply with the rules or bypass the law:

• if this norm is unprofitable for them, contradicts their interests, causes more harm than good;
• if there is no strict and unconditional mechanism for monitoring the implementation of the law for all citizens.

Mutually beneficial orders, laws, regulations and, in general, social norms are convenient because they are executed voluntarily and do not require the maintenance of an additional staff of controllers.

Each rule must be covered by an appropriate number of sanctions and control agents.

Responsibility before the execution of the law arises from citizens, provided that they:

• equal before the law, despite status differences;
• interested in the operation of this law.

The American sociologist of Austrian origin P. Berger proposed the concept of social control, the essence of which is as follows (Fig. 1). The person stands in the center of diverging concentric circles representing different types, types and forms of social control. Each circle is a new control system.

Circle 1 - outer - political and legal system, represented by a powerful state apparatus. In addition to our will, the state:

• collects taxes;
• calls for military service;
• makes you obey your rules and regulations;
• if he deems it necessary, he will deprive him of freedom and even life.

Circle 2 - morality, customs and mores. Everyone follows our morality:

• the morality police - can go to jail;
• parents, relatives - use informal sanctions such as condemnation;
• friends - will not forgive betrayal or meanness and can part with you.

Circle 3 - professional system. At work, a person is shackled: by a mass of restrictions, instructions, professional duties, business obligations that have a controlling effect. Immorality is punished by dismissal from work, eccentricity - by the loss of chances to find a new job.

Rice. 1. Illustration to the concept of P. Berger

The control of the professional system is of great importance, since the profession and position decide what an individual can and cannot in non-production life, which organizations will accept him as a member, what the circle of his acquaintances will be, in which area he will allow himself to live, etc. ...

Circle 4 - social environment, namely: distant and close, unfamiliar and familiar people. The environment makes its demands on a person, unwritten laws, for example: the manner of dressing and speaking, aesthetic tastes, political and religious beliefs, even the manner of behaving at the table (an ill-mannered person will not be invited to visit or will be refused home by those who value good manners).

Circle 5 - closest to individual - private life. The circle of family and personal friends also forms a system of social control. Social pressure on the individual is not weakening here, but, on the contrary, is increasing. It is in this circle that the individual establishes the most important social ties. Disapproval, loss of prestige, ridicule or contempt in the circle of loved ones have a much greater psychological weight than the same sanctions coming from strangers or strangers.

The core of privacy is the intimate relationship between husband and wife. It is in intimate relationships that a person seeks support for the most important feelings that make up the self-image. To gamble these connections is to risk losing yourself.

Thus, a person must: give in, obey, please, by virtue of his position, everyone - from the federal tax service to his own wife (husband).

Society with all its bulk suppresses the individual.

It is impossible to live in society and be free from it.

Definition 1

Social control is a set of various measures for assessing the behavior of an individual and its compliance with generally accepted and recognized norms. These norms are determined by law, ethics, morality, traditions, psychological characteristics. Control can be internal or external

Internal social control

Internal control, or as it is also called self-control. It is a form of control in which each individual independently controls his own behavior and compliance with his social expectations.

Remark 1

This control can manifest itself in such personal reactions of an individual as a feeling of guilt for certain actions, emotional manifestations, conscience, and on the other, in the form of indifference of a given personality in relation to his behavior.

Self-control of one's own behavior is formed in the process of socialization of the individual and the development of the individual's socio-psychological mechanisms. The main elements of self-control are such concepts as will, consciousness and conscience:

• Human consciousness is a personal form of understanding reality in the form of a subjective model of the external environment. This understanding consists of various verbal concepts and emotional images. Consciousness of a person allows her to improve and adapt her social behavior to changing generally accepted standards;
• Conscience is the ability of a person to create his own moral standards and demand from himself their exact implementation, as well as constantly assess the actions and actions performed. Conscience does not give an individual the opportunity to violate the attitudes and principles given to him;
• Will is the conscious regulation of the personality of his own behavior, which consists in the ability to overcome various difficulties. Will gives a person the opportunity to overcome his own negative desires and needs, to act not in accordance with generally accepted norms.

Types of external social control

External self-control is a set of social institutions and mechanisms that guarantee the implementation of social norms and rules. There are two types of external control - formal and informal.

It is based on clearly spelled out laws, regulations, decrees and instructions. Formal control also includes the prevailing ideology in society. When they talk about formal public control, they mean, first of all, actions aimed at respecting by all, without exception, the rule of law and public order. Such control is especially effective and necessary in large social groups, such as the state. Violation of social norms under formal control is followed by a punishment that is weighty for the offender. The punishment is established by criminal, administrative and civil legislation.

Informal social control is based on the approval or condemnation of relatives and friends, friends and comrades, colleagues, acquaintances of this or that personality act. This control is expressed through the traditions and customs that have developed in society. The agents of this type of control are such social institutions as the family, school, work collective, that is, small social groups. In case of violation of accepted social norms, a weak punishment follows. Such punishments can include disapproval, social censure, loss of trust or respect in the relevant social group.

Social control is a concept in sociology that means purposeful activity to check the functioning of an object for compliance with some criteria. As a rule, public order is maintained in this way. Moreover, most often in practice, social control is control over a person, although nothing prevents you from following 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: those around them involuntarily expect them to disturb the order. And this happens quite often.

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

But this also has a downside. Controlled behavior often limits the ability of individuals to fulfill themselves. Moreover, in traditional societies it is quite strong.

The tacit 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 tough, interfering with development.

The development of social control has 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 can be both positive and negative. These are all kinds of moral encouragement, approval of behavior, support, congratulations, expressions of gratitude, gratitude, increasing popularity, etc. At the same time, a boycott, a sharply negative reaction, public ridicule, reprimand, censure in other ways acts as a negative reaction.
2. Government measures... Here the concept of social control is somewhat transformed. Many even single out 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. Industrial incentives and punishments... In fact, these are the norms and sanctions that apply to a single enterprise. Oftentimes, desired behavior is stimulated economically.

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.

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 deprivations and punishments.

Forms of social control

If we talk about the forms of social control, then they were replaced as the society developed. Historically, these have been 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 means rules, a specific behavior. It can be either quite strictly regulated (only this way and nothing else, for example, a certain procedure for filing a tax return), or suggest different options.

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

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

Informal positive sanctions - public reaction, compliments, praise, smiles, gifts, applause, etc. Often come from loved ones 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 from loved ones, neglect, censure, breaking of friendly ties. The individual is periodically perceived to be much worse than the official ones.

It should be noted that the structure of social control fully allows for the application of different sanctions, including in terms of focus, for the same act. And one more thing: norms are also divided into technical and social ones. The latter reflect 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 oversight work? In total, there are 3 main areas:

1. Socialization... As we grow, communicate, build a certain line of behavior in contact with others, we learn to understand what is condemned by society, and what is approved, and why. Here the methods of social control work slowly and unnoticed for many, but at the same time they are the most effective. And to overcome them is not easy 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... Each individual is part of a social group. This is a family, a work collective, some kind of community with which he identifies himself. And such a unit can have a pretty strong effect on him.
3. Different forms of coercion... If for some reason the first 2 methods did not work on a person, then the state, represented by law enforcement agencies, begins to use its force.

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

Social control functions

The protective one 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 an individual compares his actions and evaluates his own behavior. It makes sense to talk about inner work with oneself and self-control.

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

The value of social control

Social control is a basic condition for the survival of society. Otherwise, individuals could simply destroy it. Protection and stabilization has already been mentioned above. It should also be noted that such control serves 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 condemnation from parents or elders in the settlement is much stronger. He became 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 cannot be called unequivocally positive, but such a deterrent works. Therefore, its importance should not be underestimated.