INTRODUCTION

1
Social control theory based upon the idea that an individual's basic belief
system, values, morals, commitments and relationships foster a lawful
environment. Individuals who have these beliefs and commitments often have a
level of self-control over their actions
When people drive on the road, they have to follow certain traffic rules to allow
smooth flow of traffic. Otherwise its result could be disastrous. In the same way,
the society delineates certain norms for its smooth functioning. These norms are
internalised by the people since their childhood, hence they accept it as normal
part of their lives and follow them in instinctive manner. When there is
concordance between the behaviour of the people and social norms, social order
prevails. If there is discordance, social disorder occurs and the whole
functioning of society gets disturbed.
The social norms rules and regulations form a part of the social control
mechanism. Under sociology, study of social norms is very important. Various
sociologists have developed different approaches to study social control under
its various dimensions. The concept comes under focus when the incidences of
social deviance and disorganisation increased in the scenario. Through
socialization, one internalizes the norms, values, and taboos of ones society. We
repeat that to internalize them means to make them part of ones automatic,
unthinking responses. People who fully internalize the mores will obey them
even when nobody is looking, because the idea of violating them is unlikely to
occur to people who have fully internalized them. If seriously tempted,
conscience may arise to prevent a violation. This is what happens, most of the
time, in a society with a stable, integrated culture and a consensus upon values.
As we shall see, few if any modern societies fit this model at all perfectly.
According to Mannheim, social control is the sum of those methods by which a
society tries to influence human behaviour to maintain a given order. Society in
order to exist and progress has to exercise a certain control over its members
since any marked deviation from the established ways is considered a threat to
its welfare.
Whilst one cannot pretend that the question of social control has been
completely forgotten, it is in many respects stagnant. The smokescreen of
globalisation and the link between crime and immigration are two perspectives
that, both on the left and right produce simplistic demonizing and idealizing
discourses on control. For the remainder, the stagnation takes different forms
inside different analytical cultures.

Meaning of Social Control:

Reflection by Eminent Sociologist
Social control refers to the system of regulating individual and group behaviour.
Or it can be referred as a set of rules and regulations that reduce and mitigate
tensions and conflicts amongst the individuals or groups of society. Through
social control, the society attempts to secure the conformity by its members to
the social expectation and tends to bring the wayward members back to the
track. The society either uses force to ensure expected behaviour, or it uses
various social institution associates with social control mechanism.
Different sociologists have given different opinions regarding the means of
social control. We will try to cover all eminent sociologists view in the way
most simple.

Edward A. Ross:
He was an American sociologist and the first sociologist to deal with the
concept of social control in his book Social Control published in 1901. He
defined Social control as a system of device whereby society brings its
members into conformity with the accepted standards of behaviour. Hence, the
more perfect is the social order is, the more social control is achieved.

Jackson Toby
In 1957, he published an article entitled "Social Disorganization and Stake in
Conformity: Complementary Factors in the Predatory Behaviour of Hoodlums,"
which discussed why adolescents were inclined or disinclined to engage in
delinquent activities. He stated Social control as The notion of stakes in
conformity fits very well with the concepts invoked in later version of social
control theory.

Michel Foucault
In his 1975 seminal text, Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. He
argues that the 18th century introduced a new form of power: discipline. Prior to
this period, government achieved social control by the mere regulation of
bodies. Deviants were controlled by the threat and frequent use of the death
penalty or indefinite incarceration.

J. S. Roucek
Social Control is a collective term used to refer to those processes planned or
unplanned, by which individuals are taught, persuaded or compelled to conform
to the usage and life value of groups.

G. A. Lundberg
Lundberg said that social control designates those social behaviours which
influence individuals or groups toward conformity to established or desired
norms.

Walter Reckless
Walter Reckless (1961) developed containment theory by focusing on a youth's
self-conception or self-image of being a good person as an insulator against peer
pressure to engage in delinquency. His basic proposition is there are "pushes"
and "pulls" that will produce delinquent behaviour unless they are counteracted
by containment.

Salient Features of Social Control

From the above discussion on the meaning of Social Control, the main features
of Social Control can be highlighted as follows: It is a system of means and processes whereby goals of the society can be
achieved.
These goals relate to conformity of the individual/group behaviour with
the social norms and group expectations.
Such conformity between individual/group behaviour with social
expectations leads to maintenance of social order.
It works at all the levels society- family, peer group, kin group, school,
college, community etc.
It comprises of elements of influence, persuasion or compulsion, because
of which individual members are directed to act in a particular way,
irrespective of their own perception and like or dislike. Thus individual or
group comply with the social expectation in spite of their own stand.
Social control operates at different levels- at the level of group, where
one group may try to control other group or a group may try to control an
individual, or at an individual level, where one individual tries to control
another individual, or an individual tries to control another group.
Scope of social control ranges from controlling the deviant acts to social
planning.

Purpose of Social Control

The study of social control is an important aspect of sociology. It is a significant
field of study. It is a unifying factor in the study of human behaviour. According
to Kimball Young the aims of social control are to bring about conformity,
solidarity and continuity of particular group or society. These aims are good but
most individuals who endeavour to control their fellow men show little
perspective in their efforts. They want that others should accept the modes of
conduct which they themselves prefer. This preference may be based on any
factor experience derived in life, desire to exploit others for one's own gain,
political, personal or economic.
Some reformers and leaders try to conceal their motives by good reasons in the
form of altruistic rationalization. A newspaper advertisement that offer discount
to those who make purchases by a particular date is an example of such
rationalizations. It is difficult to know and classify the motives of the agents of
Social Control.
The classification of the motives or purposes of the agents of social control
1. Exploitative, motivated by self interest.
2. Regulative based upon habit and the desire for behaviour of the
customary types.
3. Creative or constructive based on social benefit.
The results of social control are not always beneficial to society or to the
individual. Even social control for constructive purposes may confuse the public
and end in inactivity. Efforts to regulate behaviour in accordance to custom may
cause cultural lag, mental conflict and emotional instability.

Need of Social Control

Social control is necessary for an orderly social life. The society has to regulate
and pattern individual behaviour to maintain normative social order. Without
social control the organisation of the society is about to get disturbed. If the
individual is effectively socialised, he confirms to the accepted ways from force
of habit as well as from his desire of being accepted and approved by other
persons. If he is inadequately socialised, he has a tendency to deviate from the
accepted ways, but he is forced towards conformity by the pressures of social
control. 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.
Various social thinkers have expressed their views in different ways about the
need of social control which is discussed as under:

1. Restabilising the Old Social System:

The main need of the social control is to keep the existing order intact. In other
words it is the desire of the society to make its member to live in manner in
which their forefathers have been living. Although enforcement of the old order
in a changing society may hinder social progress, yet it is necessary to maintain
continuity and uniformity in society.

2. Obedience to Social Decisions:

Society takes certain decisions. These decisions are taken in order to maintain
and upheld the values of the society. Through social control attempt is made to
get the social decision obeyed.

3. To Establish Social Unity:

Unity is not possible without social control. Social control regulates the
behaviour of individuals in accordance with established norms which brings
uniformity of behaviour and brings unity among the individuals.

4. To bring Solidarity:
Social control is to create the feeling of solidarity in the minds of people. In the
competitive world, the weaker group may be exploited by the stronger group or
equally powerful groups may clash among themselves.

5. To Provide Social Sanction:

Any marked deviation from the accepted norms, is considered a threat to the
welfare of the group as a whole. Hence, sanctions are used by the group to
control the behaviour of the individuals.

No doubt social control is needed to prevent the society from disintegration. The
need is greater in modern society because of its highly complex character and
disintegrating forces present in it. It has become the habit of the people to
violate rules and social norms. If the agencies of social control do not act
effectively society may suffer from chaos and disintegration.

Types of Social Control

Society makes use of various means of social control depending upon the time
and social situations for the realisation of its purpose. It is left to the discretion
of the to decide what means must be used at what time and in what social
institution. In some primnitive communities magic and superstiotious beliefs are
enough to ecercise control. But in modern urban society, radio, tv, internet,
newpaper, etc., may be used for enforcing conformity. Infact, societies have
developed consciously or unconsciously various devices for the purpose of
controlling the behaviour of their members. Most of the sociologists have
classified the means of social control into types such as informal means and
formal means. These are traced out below:

Informal Social Control: