Social Control and

Agencies of Social
Control
Presented by
Rabia Mumtaz
Roll # 606 M.ED
 Definition

The term social control , is widely used in sociology to refer

to the social processes by which the behavior of individuals
or groups is regulated. Since all societies have norms and
values governing conduct.
 Nature of Social Control

Following are the main characteristics of social control.

Social control is the control of society over individuals.

Social control denotes some kind of influence. This influence
may be exercised in various ways by means of public
opinion, coercion, religion, leadership etc.
The influence of social control is essentially exerted by the
society or community.
 Need of Social Control

Social control is necessary for an orderly social life. .

Without social control the organization of the society is
about to get disturbed.
According to Kimball Young, it is necessary to bring
about conformity, solidarity and continuity of a particular
group or society.
It is possible only through social control. Society has to make
use of its mechanism to accomplish the necessary order and
discipline.
 Social Control Theory
Social control theory was developed by Travis Hirschi in 1969.
It is also known as the Social Bond Theory.
Hirschi refers to four elements which constitute the societal bond.
These bonds include:
Attachment -- to other individuals
Commitment -- to following rules
Involvement -- by typical social behaviors
Belief -- a basic value system
When one of these four items break down, Hirschi hypothesizes
that an individual may then participate in criminal activities
Types or Forms of Social Control

Social
Control

Formal social Informal

control social control
 Formal social control
The formal means of social control come from
institutions.
Man is forced to accept these forms of social control
Generally these forms are exercised by secondary groups.
The state, law, education and those which have legitimate
power. They apply coercive measures in the case of
deviance.
 Informal social control
These agencies of Social Control have grown
according to the needs of the society.

Folk ways, mores, customs, social norms etc. fall

under this category of social control.

Generally primary institutions exercise this type

of social control.
Agencies of Social Control
There are following agencies of social control
Law
State
Education
Folkways
Mores
Administration
Religions
Family
Neighborhood
Public Opinion
 Law
Law is a powerful method of control. The state runs its
administration through the government.
In primitive societies, the groups followed similar
occupations and individuals shared a direct and
personal relation among themselves. These folkways,
mores and customs sufficed in controlling the
individual behavior. There was almost unquestioned
compliance with the formal mechanism of social
control.
In short, law is an important formal means of Control
to regulate the individual behaviour in society
 State

State has a vital role in administering social control.

State functions through the government. Modern nation-

states strive to be welfare states, i.e. they seek to provide to
the citizens a wide range of social services like education and
medical care.

In modern societies, State has become increasingly important

as an agent of social control.
 Education
Education in modern times is a very powerful
means of social control. It prepares the child
for social living and teaches him the values of
discipline, cooperation, tolerance and
integration.
Educational institutions at all levels(i.e. school,
college, university, etc.) impart knowledge as
well as ethics through formal structured
courses and behavioral inputs. The child learns
many things from the Education institutions,
which he cannot learn from other sources.
It is education, which makes all efforts to
discipline the mind of the student in the school
so that he can realize the importance of social
control.
 Folkways
Folkways are norms to which individuals conform. It is
customary to do so. Conformity to folkways is not enforced by
law or any other agency of the society.
It is the informal acceptance of established practices in each
group or society.
Folkways are manifested in matters of dress, food habits,
observance of rituals, forms of worship and methods of
greeting etc.
 Mores

Mores represent another category of norms. Mores are

considered to be essential for group welfare.
Mores seek to regulate the relationship between individuals in
defined situations, viz. between wife and husband, parents and
children, student and teacher, etc.
They may also refer to general social relationships in terms of
honesty, truthfulness, hard work and discipline, etc
The positive mores prescribe behavior patterns while the
negative mores or taboos prescribe or prohibit behavior patterns.
 Religion

Religion serves as an important agency of social control.

It is religion, which supports the folkways and modes of a

society by playing super natural sanctions behind them. It
adopts negative as well as positive means to regulate the
behavior of the individuals in society.
 Administration

Administration is very powerful and the most

effective instrument of social control. It forces the
individual to obey social control. The
administrations punish the violators with the help
of the police, the army etc
 Family
Family is a very important instrument agency of
social control. Family prescribes rules and
regulations that the members have to follow. These
rules and regulations form a part of social control.
The family socializes the child into the norms,
values, traditions and customs of the group. Thus,
family has predominant role in the shaping of the
personality of the child. Family teaches the child to
conform to the norms of the society. It exercises
control over its members to bring about the desired
action.
 Neighborhood
Neighbourhood is a simple and specific part of a community. It
has a feeling or sentiment of local unit. There may be more than
one Neighbourhood in a community. The neighbourhood is the
first community with which the individual comes into contact
with. It exists, a deep influence on its members as an agency of
social control.