Social Control
Many countries across the world practice social control in one way or another. Such controls can be through traditional and social beliefs or constitutions. Many countries’ common tool to control people’s behavior, whether in government or outside government, is the constitution’s use, which is often regarded as the supreme law. Therefore, any person deemed to have violated what is stated in the constitution may have to face specific consequences such as being charged in a court of law and consequently jailed for some specified time. Therefore, it is safe to state that social control is present everywhere, whether there is a democracy or not. Even in democratic countries, some norms must be followed by every citizen. Therefore, social control refers to the means and ways by which society ensures conformity to the laid out norms. Therefore, an individual is expected to internalize the social norms observed in their particular environment and make them part of their personality. This paper aims to explore the topic of social control, theories related to it, and an example of how it has been applied to control the Covid-19 pandemic in Australia.
Sociologists usually use social control to refer to the various mechanisms that a society employs to maintain a normative social system. Generally, social control is nothing but simply the control of society, specifically individuals (Henry, 2018). According to Henry (2018), keeping the man under some control is the only way to maintain society’s order and organization. Social control is necessary for any country, organization, or community that wants to inculcate particular desired behavior in individuals and ultimately enable them to develop excellent social qualities (Studies, 2010).
However, not everyone is or will be willing to follow all the established social norms of society. Some people will want to deviate from the established norms and laws because of various reasons best known. For instance, some may want to break the norms due to peer pressure or to attain their freedom, especially in a society where some particular group or section of people are prohibited from doing those certain activities, which in their view is unfair. According to sociologists, any deviation from the established norms may be seen as a threat to social welfare by enforcing authorities or agencies (Studies, 2010). Social control is usually regulated in accordance with the recognized and established standards. Furthermore, social control is omnipotent, comprehensive, and effective due to its ability to discourage, and if need be, to punish the individuals who deviate from the existing norms. Social control also has the ability to stimulate mutuality, order, and discipline among the members of a particular society. Henry (2018) states that social order’s primary aim is to nip individuals’ deviant tendencies in the bud. Otherwise, she believes that the absence of social order would lead to the law of the brute.
Even though social control has been proved as a tool that always works in various societies, it is imperative to note that the society is also subject to internal revulsions and external impact-this means that a social system is characterized by continuity and change. In short, it is not easy to implement or enforce social control. As such, some people may deviate from the social norms because of dissatisfaction. Thus, the danger of deviation is always and will continue to be there; it cannot be stopped(Studies, 2010). What determines the effectiveness of any social control system depends on the proper coordination of how people accept the means of social control being used. One effective way of ensuring social control works well is by ensuring that children grow and learn the norms of the society so that when they are mature, they will not deviate; instead, they will also pass on the same message to their children. By doing this, a child is provided with the opportunity to learn the values of their age groups as well as those of the larger society in their way of thinking and doing things(“File: Mertons social strain theory.svg. – Wikimedia Commons,” n.d.).
However, it is important to note that every social group is prone to errors, whether big or small, too young people’s socialization. It means that it is not always a guarantee that the young ones will live to strictly stick to the social norms, especially if they do not seem to coincide with their own desires. As such, there is always the possibility of the young ones deviating from a particular group’s norms in the future. Although the society accepts that it is not easy to prevent all deviations, some cannot be tolerated beyond a certain degree (Henry, 2018). Therefore, they are met with the resistance they deserve, especially if they seem to threaten society’s welfare. To bring the non-conformists into line, some societies employ sanctions in the form of rewards or punishments.
In trying to define and explain what social control entails, sociologists often use various theories as follows: the social control theory-according to this theory, the durability, and strength of an individual’s commitment or bond to conventional society are what inhibits social deviance (“Theories of Deviance,” n.d.). The theory further states that the need for attachment and belonging to others is crucial for influencing many cognitive, behavioral, and emotional processes; differential-association theory-it is a theory coined by Sutherland Edwin in addressing how people learn deviance. The theory believes that the environment in which an individual lives plays a major role in determining which norms people will learn to violate (“Theories of Deviance,” n.d.). Particularly, individuals who exist in a particular reference group are likely to provide norms of deviance and conformity and consequently influence how other people look at the world, including their reaction; anomie theory-it point to the confusion that occurs when social norms don’t exist or conflict. The contribution of this theory lies in its ability to explain different forms of deviance. It is also seen as sociological as it emphasizes the role of social forces that create deviance. However, the theory is criticized for its generality because it lacks statements that explain the process of learning deviance and the motivators for deviance. The theory does not also lend itself to precise scientific study (“File: Mertons social strain theory.svg. – Wikimedia Commons,” n.d.).
The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic across the world has led many countries to establish various social control measures that aim to curtail the disease’s further spread. The pandemic requires large-scale behavior change among people. As a result of various stringent measures, the pandemic has placed a significant psychological burden on people. Epidemiologists and public health experts have primarily suggested social control measures. To analyze some of the social control measures that have been established, this paper uses Australia as the case study with regards to how it is handling the crisis.
Australia has done relatively well in responding to the coronavirus pandemic through the institution of various social control measures that helped to slow the spread (Duckett & Stobart, 2020). Being a country of over 20 million people, with an economy globally-connected, a large tourist industry, and a predominantly urban population, Australia would have witnessed devastating consequences if not for the excellent measures. One of the biggest factors that ensured the success of containing the virus was the high level of public trust (trust between individuals in society and trust in the government). It is amazing how Australia’s recent political instability did not influence the efforts and measures. The success goes to show the remarkable stability that exists within the country’s civil society. Some of the social control instituted by the Australian government includes international border closure, and the quarantine-the decision was reached after the realization that almost two-thirds of the country’s cases were from foreign sources (Duckett & Stobart, 2020). The closure meant that no one could enter or leave the country, including the citizens, therefore qualifying the measure as social control. The closure was followed by a mandatory quarantine for any foreigner that had arrived two weeks before closure. Another social control measure that was instituted was embracing the telehealth by the citizens instead of hospital visits. Patients were now required to consult their health professionals through telephone, videoconference, or any other available means as long as there is no physical meeting. Millions of Australians enthusiastically embraced telehealth. It is estimated that more than 4.3 million healthcare services were delivered to three million people during the first five weeks of the measure (Duckett & Stobart, 2020). Public acceptance of spatial distancing was another social control measure that allowed Australia to effectively manage the spread of the virus-there was no significant resistance since the message as to why such a measure was taken was clearly communicated to the people. Many Australians had actually started reducing their activities even before the measure (Duckett & Stobart, 2020).
References
Duckett, S., & Stobart, A. 2020. 4 ways Australia’s coronavirus response was a triumph, and 4 ways it fell short.
File:Mertons social strain theory.svg. – Wikimedia Commons [WWW Document], n.d. URL https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AMertons_social_strain_theory.svg. (accessed 10.7.20).
Henry, S., 2018. The Essential Criminology Reader. Routledge.
Studies, N.C. for the S., 2010. National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies: A Framework for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment.
Theories of Deviance [WWW Document], n.d. URL https://www.cliffsnotes.com/study-guides/sociology/deviance-crime-and-social-control/theories-of-deviance (accessed 10.7.20).