SOCIAL CONTROL

As we saw earlier, every society needs a set of behavior guidelines that its
members can use as a guide in their relationships with others.
Let's consider, for example, the measures of order that are hidden under the noisy confusion of a great
city. Tens of thousands of people occupy their positions and perform their tasks seemingly without
address. Dozens of people, whom one never sees, will work on this day to ensure that the food
be ready when needed, so that the sources have water, the drains are taken outside
waste, traffic stops so that one can pass and other needs are met that
we have.

What is social control?

Why is social control so important? Why do we care about what the other is going to do?
Let's assume:
We hurriedly left the house and took a taxi. We didn't say anything to the taxi driver, and we ourselves
we didn't think about it either, but we hope he drives on his right, stops at the red light, and that
don’t go on the sidewalk but rather on the street.
We are going to process a procedure at an office and we ask for information. We hope that the young lady speaks.
with us in Spanish and does not want to practice the ancient Chinese that he is learning.
We are hungry, we pass by the bakery and buy pastries; it doesn't even occur to us to think that
Maybe the baker put a little poison in the dough.

All these previous situations have something in common: we are depending on that the
the behavior of others adapts spontaneously to what the established norms are
society. Therefore, we see that social control is necessary: it establishes limits, proposes a
order and makes social coexistence possible. It is an extension of the socialization process in the
to the extent that a person learns to discern what the accepted behavior is for each situation and
What are the appropriate or inappropriate behavioral guidelines for that same situation;
likewise knows social values and institutions.

Therefore, social control implies the knowledge of certain regulators of human behavior:

NORMS: rules of behavior. Models of conduct that the group considers correct.
Morals: they tend to perfect human behavior by inclining it to do good.
Religious: they regulate the reaction between men and the divinity they believe in.
Legal: a set of rules that primarily regulate the external behavior of individuals in
relationship with others.

We must establish that not all norms in a society are equally important. It is possible
establish an ordering or hierarchy among them, according to the degree of value that society grants them and
the type of pressure that is exerted on group members to fulfill them. Thus, we can
find: a) the mores are the most important and fundamental norms on which an
group. This expression, introduced by Summer, designates a type of norms that are considered so
basic principles by the members of society, which they do not accept their noncompliance. The prohibition of
murder, the taboo of incest, the prohibition of polygamy, are examples of mores in our
societies.
b) customs broadly encompass "what is done" in a society. The ways of eating,
educating children, having fun, constitute norms of behavior not as important as mores,
but they fulfill an important function of predicting and coordinating social actions. They are also
important as a means of identifying and characterizing subcultures within a larger group.
c) Social uses are simple ways for people to behave, which, although subjected to a certain
regularity, they do not aim to cover large numbers of people or long periods of time. The
fashion or styles in clothing, music, and language indicate social uses that can reach
exert certain pressure on the members of a group.
. VALUES: ways of being or acting that society recognizes as ideal. They represent models.
of behaviors accepted by society; what it believes to be good, correct, convenient, etc.
Values vary with respect to society and the era.
. INSTITUTIONS: according to Durkheim, it is everything that the individual finds established or
organized in society and become mandatory norms. E.g. Family, language, the rules of
courtesy, the church, the law, education, etc.

Through norms, values, and social institutions, social control is exercised. The individual can.
to accept these three means of control voluntarily, but if that does not happen, the same system is applicable.
with other control instruments such as sanctions. These constitute a system of rewards and
punishments to, precisely, stimulate the members of a society to adopt the behaviors that it
establish as correct.

In the face of this control system, the individual can adopt different behaviors:
The conduct in accordance
It is called behavior that conforms to social norms. It is the behavior that follows the models.
proposed. Conformity does not imply that people share social norms, but rather
They simply fulfill them. It is the usual behavior.
Deviant behavior
This is called behavior that does not conform to the expectations of a system or group.
social. They imply a distancing from norms: the individual adopts behaviors that
they find themselves on the margins of what is socially accepted and shared.
Deviant behavior does not necessarily indicate a crime: it is deviant in relation to what is common in society.
The deviant behaviors of a criminal, an alcoholic, a drug addict, etc.
The deviation can be primary or secondary.
Primary deviation is that in which an individual engages in deviant acts, but in a way
temporal: we can affirm that this individual is not considered strictly deviant. For example, the
a person who drinks too much at a party.
Secondary deviation, in which the individual exhibits a permanent deviant behavior and is
socially considers a social deviant. An example can be the behavior of an alcoholic.
Social anomie
When group cohesion decreases very sharply, the phenomenon known as
social disintegration, which generally leads to the extinction of the group. Maximum disintegration is that which
it is known as social anomie. Etymologically the term means "absence of norms" (from Greek:
"A": negation; "Nomos": norm.
Anomie implies a situation in which the individual cannot accurately orient their behavior.
because it faces a normative void whose cause may be the excess of norms or the absence of
norms. An example of an anomic situation caused by an excess of norms is the case of the immigrant.
which faces a set of norms, typical of the society it arrives at and which constitute a framework
a normative different from the one they are accustomed to. Examples of anomic situations due to absence of
rules can apply in extreme cases of major disasters - fires, landslides, bombings, etc.
, in which individuals have to react to unforeseen events under the usual rules.

Anomie according to Durkheim

Durkheim developed the concept of anomie in one of his main works, "Suicide," written in
1897, although he had already introduced the term in another of his works, 'On the Division of Social Labor.'
Apparently, there is no more specifically individual phenomenon than an individual's decision to
to take one's own life, and yet, Durkheim studies it precisely to demonstrate to what extent those
Individual decisions have a root in social causes or in what is called 'suicidogenic currents.'
That is why it establishes the distinction between suicide itself, which is an individual phenomenon, and the
suicide rate, which is a social phenomenon, is what is proposed to be studied.

Durkheim has demonstrated that suicide is also an act that exhibits all the characteristics of a
social phenomenon. Indeed, the suicide rate is relatively constant within each country, and
varies significantly from one country to another at the same time.
The suicide rate varies by groups: Catholics commit suicide less than Protestants, and the
Jews less than Catholics; married people with children commit suicide less than singles; the
Married people with children commit suicide less than those who are married without children.
In summary, according to Durkheim, the suicide rate decreases as people become more...
they are integrated into social groups or communities through strong and constant ties.

Selfish Suicide
It results from the individual's alienation from the social environment. It is typical of modern societies, with a great
consumption where material needs prevail over emotional ones, consequently the integration
Social is weaker, which is why individualistic feelings are stronger than feelings of belonging.
to the group, thus these material needs lead to social disintegration promoting the
individualism.
When the disparity between the material desires experienced and those actually achieved is
notable, the possibility of suicide increases.
According to Durkheim, egoistic suicide 'varies inversely with the level of integration of the groups.'
sociales of which the individual is a part." It calls this type of suicide selfish, because by not being
integrated, individuals take their own lives by only thinking of themselves, as they cannot consider the
duties towards other people, such as the spouse and children.
The only brake that exists is social integration through two major phenomena: the family and the
church.
Altruistic suicide
It opposes selfish suicide. The origin lies in others, it is characteristic of primitive societies.
where there is a high level of social solidarity, that is to say, this suicide can be considered as
honorable behavior or as a way to fulfill the group. The individual does not even claim
the right to life, there is a very strong collective consciousness that prevails over it.
Suicide is altruistic because its origin lies not in the self (ego) but in others (alter).
It is characteristic of traditional societies, highly integrated and with a very strong collective consciousness.
strong.

Anomic suicide
It is the one that interests Durkheim the most, it is the most characteristic of modern societies and it
reflects on the relationship between variations in suicide rates and the stages of the economic cycle.
In times of economic crisis, suicide rates increase, but they are also high during times of great
economic prosperity. Durkheim finds the explanation in the rapid change in the norms that
they served as frames of reference for the conduct of the subject. A person who suffers a sudden and
accentuated change of position, loses, with its former status, all the norms and guidelines that guided
his behavior, as well as in industrialized and poorly integrated societies, the subject lacks another
moral or normative, which allows them to guide their behavior and falls into a state of anxiety and
insecurity in relation to group norms. Suicide is anomic because its origin is
finds in the absence or inadequacy of social norms.

MERTON'S THEORY
Merton uses the criteria of 'goals' and 'means' to define social anomie, as the relationship operates.
between both.
The ends are the objectives, the aspirations of individuals, and the means are the ways or paths.
institutionalized, that is, accepted and recognized by the culture to achieve objectives.
When a behavior achieves a balance between the ends and the means, it is normal; otherwise, the
behavior will be anomic.
Merton defines anomie as a breakdown in the social structure, which occurs when there is a
imbalance between means and ends.
Merton used the example of imbalance as the goal of economic success, which is paramount in our
culture, and then outlined five ways to respond to this goal and the institutionalized ways of
to reach them.

Non-anomic behavior:
As follows: The individual chooses ends and accepts means shared by society. Example: a
merchant, in order to obtain profits, such as quality improvement, advertising, offers, etc.

Anomic behavior
Innovative: The individual sets accepted goals but rejects socially accepted means.
Example: someone, to prosper, engages in theft.
Ritualist: People do not set goals; however, they use institutionalized means. Example:
someone does not have religious convictions, but fulfills the ritual ceremonies.
Withdrawn: It is a situation in which a negative equilibrium is reached: It rejects the ends and the
media. Example: the alcoholic, the drug addict.
Rebel: This behavior occurs in individuals who uphold their principles but do not accept the
institutionalized means and ends, and proposes new goals and means, for example, the large
reformers of history.

Both Durkheim and Merton have pointed out that anomie arises from the discrepancy that exists
between the needs of man and the means offered to him by a specific society to satisfy them.
According to this last sociologist, the anomic crisis arises or emerges from the conflict between its cultural goals.
and institutional norms.
The Yankee society offers a clear example of this conflict. According to the values of the cultural system
North Americans are socialized in their youth to strive for achievement.
success normally means making a lot of money). But the institutional structure does not allow most to
access these purposes. Most fail and are therefore considered failures. It is impossible
that every intelligent and ambitious child of a worker becomes a director of a company. The
The consequences of all this can be reduced to neurosis or produce what Durkheim called the
"anomic suicide" and can create a special type of crime, a deviant behavior that wants
reach the same objectives through different paths. A large part of juvenile delinquency in other countries is
anomic. The important thing, Merton says, is the lack of opportunity in those societies where it is preached.
equal opportunities.

Professor Dr. María Soledad Lombardo Cabrera.

Bibliography:
Maccionis and Plummer, Sociology.
Giddens, Sociology.
Abercombie, Hill and Turner Sociological Dictionary.
Rosa Garrido and other Sociology Notebooks.