The Theory Of Social Control Theory

Social Control Theory The social control theory is unlike most criminology theories that attempt to explain why people engage in criminal behavior. Instead, the philosophical framework of this approach focuses on the justifications of why people obey the laws and rules. This unique perspective attempts to provide rationales for how behavior conforms to expected and accepted social norms. The philosophical framework surrounding social control theory is the belief in free will and how individuals are responsible for their own choices.

Social control theory is critical to criminology because of the strength and impacts a relationship or bond between people have. These relationships are influenced and shaped by behavior, personality and the environment they choose to surround themselves in. Direct social control is important for children, having a healthy family relationship and role models create a balance with social control. If a society works together to create positive support for each other it helps control the crime that is once influenced by negative activities and poor role models.

After reading the article “The Meaning of Social Control” by Peter Berger I agree that social control is present in our daily lives trying to get people to conform in different situations. There are several different kinds of social control from violence, to gossip to even being shunned from a community. In the article it even states, that social control “...refers to the various means used by a society to bring its recalcitrant members back into line. No society can exist without social control (Berger 1).” This quote means without social control people wouldn’t be able to conform to any specific situation which can lead to a lot of issues. Even though conformity in general is perceived as a bad thing it can also be used for good. Like the example given when a police officer gives a person a ticket it teaches the person to not speed or they would get into trouble.

Social control is the way society reacts to behavior and people it considers as deviant, problematic, worrying, threatening, troublesome or undesirable in some way or another. There are three different types of social control: private, parochial, and public. The most basic form of social control is at the private level. This is also referred to as a primary form of social control. At the private level social control is carried out by family, friends, and other informal social groups that have the capacity to exercise social control through criticism, praise, ostracism, and even violence. The second form of social control is at the parochial level and is also known as secondary social control. At the parochial level social control is exercised by community organizations such as schools, churches, neighborhood groups, and businesses that often have a stake in individual behavior, but do not have the same sentimental attachment as those at the private level. Social control levied by those at the parochial level, for example, can take the form of a verbal reprimand by a neighbor or sanctions meted out by a school principal or church official. The third form of social control is exercised at the public level. At the public level social control is exercised by governmental organizations such as the police and regulatory agencies. This form of social control is often called to action when other strategies exercised by the private and parochial levels have

There are numerous perspectives that explain the sociological criminology theories and social process criminology theories that have essential roles with individuals who choose to commit crime. Social process criminology theory have social forces that affect individuals when it comes to committing crime. Whether the cause of behavior is learned through alcohol abuse, domestic violence or group affiliations, social process theory has an adversarial effect on criminal behavior. Social process theory stresses the importance of group involvement and socializing with non-criminal peers within the groups. Social process theorists believe that criminality is determined by a person’s participation within different individual group affiliations.

Juvenile delinquency is very prevalent especially among adolescents because studies have shown that during the time of adolescence that is when delinquency tends to increase and once adolescence has passed at about 17 years of age then it tends to decrease (Adolescent Delinquency, 2002). There are many factors that can contribute to the increase of delinquency during adolescence, some of the factors can be personality, mental disorders, genetics, economic status, environment, family, and culture among others, also to understand better the causes of juvenile delinquency the social control theory is the best theory to explain juvenile delinquency as a whole (Adolescent Delinquency, 2002).

Due to the heavy reliance of the juvenile justice system on containment, confinement, and control, removes youth from their families because the presence of a parent or parent figure who is involved with the adolescent and concerned about his or her successful development is a critical factor of healthy psychological development (Bonnie, Johnson, Chemers, and Schuck). Distanced from their peers, because inclusion in a peer group that values and models prosocial behavior and academic success is another condition that is critically important to healthy psychological development in adolescence (Bonnie, Johnson, Chemers, and Schuck). And detached from their neighborhoods the communal context of their future lives, because schools, extracurricular activities, and work settings can provide opportunities for adolescents to learn to think for themselves, develop self- reliance and self-efficacy, and improve reasoning skills, another vital factor towards healthy psychological development in adolescence (Bonnie, Johnson, Chemers, and Schuck). The communities of delinquent youths are essential aspects for their development, so therefore it is understandable that it should be incorporated with his or her

Social Control Theory proposes that through socialization and social learning individuals form attachments to others and develop self-control, as they do not want to disappoint others. This theory purposes that there are the four elements that together determine the level of bond to society; attachment in which an individual relates how he or she feels about others; commitment whereby the subject seeks to accomplish specific goals; involvement by participation in social activities; and belief of what society accepts to be morally right or legal. In contrast, Social Control Theory is a perspective which predicts that deviant behavior is much more likely to emerge when social constraints and bonds between the individual and rest of society are either weak or simply not present. Social Learning theorists suggest that individuals develop their social tendencies based on how they interact with their environment and use attachment as an abstract summary of these concepts. Attachment to school is an example of a well-established predictor of delinquency.

Social control and social learning both suggest that behavior is a choice based . However, when looking at the two theories they actually take a different stance. Social learning theory suggests that individuals join gangs to feel that sense of security as well as living the glamorized lifestyle and their attempt to fill the void of an absent parent. Social learning theory is best stated as learned behavior based on the environmental and social attachment that one has to a community. Social learning is telling us that people have a choice to make a rationalized decision based on their observations of others, but remain adamant to state that their interactions with the social surroundings will be taken into consideration as well (Lilly, Cullen, & Ball, 2011).

The theoretical stability of social control theory rests upon the existence of four variables which are not only thought to have a correlative relationship amongst each other but are viewed as pivotal perquisites in deterring deviant behavior. These variables are attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief. Attachment refers to the obligatory connections and expectations that relate the individual to other persons in society. Through the individual's attachments to other people's expectations, norms become internalized by the individual. Commitment refers to the fear of law-breaking behavior and assumes that the organization of society is situated such that the interests of most persons of the given society would be endangered if they decide to engage in criminal and/or deviant acts. Involvement refers to the conventional activities that makes a person too busy to find time and/or the opportunity to engage in deviant behavior. As for Belief, the theory holds that a common, if not, single value system exists in society in which both he law-abiding individual as well as deviant both value. The opinions and impressions that are dependent on constant social reinforcement comprise belief. A person is more likely to conform to social norms when he believes in them. However, there is possibly a wide variability amongst the society as to how much one adheres to the belief that they should obey the norms and rules of society.

In 1969, a man named Travis Hirschi wrote and proposed something called the Social Control Theory. This theory can be applied in numerous kinds of ways when trying to address and solved social problems dealing with adolescents delinquent behavior. Before we can try to apply the Social Bond Theory, we must first understand the components and definition of the theory. Once we have a firm grasp of the theory, we can then look into our own lives and programs within our communities, to possibly provide support to strengthen the validity of the Social Bond Theory.

Through an understanding of causes of juvenile delinquency society may come to deal preventively with delinquency; certainly treatment of the offender needs to be based upon an understanding of the causal mechanisms that have produced him. In this paper we'll describe three theories of juvenile delinquency such as Social Learning Theory, General Strain Theory and Behavioral Theory and discuss appropriate preventive programs based upon these theories.

Formal social control is a form of control that is “carried out by authorized agents, such as police officers, judges, school administrators,

The social environment of teens holds an enormous influence on how the teens act and behave. Teens are easily influenced by their surroundings and they look to others for guidance. Their behavior results from that of the parent and peer influences. Parents play a particularly influential role in their child’s life and it is up to them to make sure that they are leading their sons or daughters in the right directions. A teen’s peers also play a large role in how the teen behaves when the parents are not around. A teen’s social environment, consisting of family and peers, plays a vital role in their life, therefore becoming the ultimate cause of juvenile delinquency.

Education is an important structure in society that shapes the most important years of your life, and therefore many theorists have ideas about what is wrong with education, what is right, and what needs to change or develop. Education is confined a lot by social control and social reproduction. Social control is a concept that refers to how social systems control the way we feel, think, behave, and even how we should present ourselves. These can appear openly, shown as rules and laws, or they could be not openly acknowledged and just appear as the “common” thing to do. Social reproduction is the reproduction of inequalities throughout generation-to-generation, one way education does this is how it supplies “wealthy” schools more and “poor” schools less. Michael Apple and Maxine Greene both define Social reproductions and Social Control. Throughout this text, I will explain the theories of Greene and Apple, as well as comparing and contrasting them against one another while applying some of my own experiences of education.