35. CONCEPTS OF “SOCIAL CLASS”, “SOCIAL GROUP”, “SOCIAL CLASS”, “SOCIAL STATUS” Social class is a large unit in the theory of social stratification. This concept appeared in the 19th century. Before this, the main social unit was the estate. There are various

SOCIAL CONTROL is a mechanism of self-regulation of the system, ensuring the orderly interaction of its constituent elements through normative regulation. As part of a general system for coordinating the interaction of individuals and society, primary S.K. is given

SOCIAL ORDER is a philosophical and sociological concept that represents an explanation of how form appears in social relations, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, how social systems and their elements are connected in time and space. Widely

SOCIAL REALISM is a paradigmatic attitude of socio-historical knowledge, based on the interpretation of society and its historical evolution as an objective reality, external to individual consciousness within the framework of the subject-object opposition. Distinguish

3.9. Social control Social control is a system of social regulation of people's behavior and maintaining social order; mechanism of social regulation, a set of means and methods of social influence; social practice of using funds and

Return to Social Control

In sociology, there are different types and forms of social control.

Internal and external control.

A person who has mastered social norms is able to independently regulate his actions, coordinating them with the generally accepted system of values ​​and approved patterns of behavior. This is internal control (self-control), the basis of which is a person’s moral principles. External control is a set of social institutions that regulate people's behavior and ensure compliance with generally accepted norms and laws.

Informal and formal control.

Informal (intra-group) control is carried out by participants in any social process and is based on the approval or condemnation of an individual’s actions by the immediate environment (colleagues, acquaintances, friends, family members), and public opinion.

Formal (institutional) control is carried out by special public institutions, control bodies, government organizations and institutions (army, court, municipal institutions, media, political parties, etc.).

Depending on who exercises social control, the following types are distinguished:

1. Administrative social control. To implement it, higher authorities vest the administration of the enterprise and its divisions with appropriate powers. Administrative control is based on a pre-prescribed, legalized procedure, on existing regulatory documents and uses the means of influence clearly fixed in them.
2. Control of public organizations. It is carried out mainly by trade union organizations and various commissions formed in accordance with the Charter of trade unions.
3. Group social control, which refers to the influence of the team and individual groups on workers. Group social control has two varieties: official (meetings of the work collective, production meetings, etc.) and informal, socio-psychological, expressed in spontaneous mutual reactions of team members to behavior. The last type of social control includes refusal of contacts, ridicule, approval, friendly disposition, etc. Often such informal influence of the team turns out to be more effective than administrative influence.
4. Employee self-control over his behavior, i.e. internal control associated with employees’ assimilation of values ​​and norms of behavior accepted in society and the team. The more individual values ​​and norms coincide with collective values, the more effective self-control turns out to be. With an increase in the level of employee motivation, the importance of internal control based on a sense of duty, professional honor, and conscience will increase.

The most effective interventions are those that combine external control and self-control. The combination of external control with self-control also determines the advantages of switching to a flexible (sliding) work schedule. In this case, intra-shift losses of working time due to the fault of the employee are eliminated, tardiness and premature departures from work are eliminated, and time losses due to administrative leave are sharply reduced.

The expansion of the role of group control and self-control of socially significant actions in the world of work is associated with an increase in the amount of responsibility of the team and the employee for the final results of work. Responsibility as a significant behavioral characteristic acts as a means of self-control.

Strengthening in modern conditions the importance of such subjects of social control as the primary labor collective and the employee himself implies the expansion of their powers, rights and responsibilities, which contributes to their implementation in practical work activities. Participation in social control means that the primary team and each employee becomes the subject of responsibility, including legal, economic, and moral. After all, responsibility arises only when a participant in labor relations is endowed with rights, responsibilities, and independence.

Responsibility as the most important sociological category characterizes the employee’s attitude to society, work, fellow workers and reflects the fulfillment of legal and moral norms and role responsibilities. The set of role responsibilities of an employee, primarily production-functional, depending on the positions he occupies in the system of social relations, characterizes the scope of his responsibility. By becoming an active participant in social control, the employee is responsible for his actions and actions primarily to himself.

The responsibility of each employee is closely related to the degree of his independence in the world of work. The higher the production independence of the employee, expressed, in particular, in the ability to choose the methods of performing assigned work and keeping records of the results of work, the higher his initiative and sense of labor responsibility, the more responsible his behavior.

Further development of the problem of responsibility is associated with specifying the types, conditions, limits, mechanism for implementing responsibility, as well as the combination of collective and personal responsibility in the world of work.

The influence of social control significantly determines the higher economic results of the work of teams compared to those working individually. Group mutual control in teams makes it possible to evaluate the discipline and conscientiousness of each team member and to form a responsible attitude towards the work performed. In the new type of brigades, the number of violations of discipline is significantly reduced.

For the effectiveness of group mutual control, it is important to establish the optimal size of the primary team. It should not exceed an average of 7-15 employees. The large number of the primary workforce leads to a lack of information about everyone’s contribution to the common cause. Under these conditions, relationships of mutual responsibility and interchangeability cause tension in interpersonal relationships, anxiety, and dissatisfaction. Mutual social control stops working. In practice, however, when forming teams, the sociological aspects of their functioning are underestimated and due importance is not attached to the creation of conditions for the operation of a mechanism of mutual social control.

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Control in all professions goes through the same stages of development.

§ 3. Types of social and legal control.

Leaders decide

the issue of admitting new members, regulate powers, establish practical standards

work and professional ethics, negotiate different levels of monopoly on the solution. However

However, control in social work exhibits its own distinctive, characteristic features.

Social work distinguished by its special connections with other professions and social

institutions. Traditionally, social workers implement bridging, mediating and

protective social functions, while simultaneously fulfilling its main function of providing

individuals and families of practical social services services, expanding the scope of which

started after 1991. Social workers today have a wide range of activities.

The strengthening of social work is reflected in the expansion of its scope and ambiguity

professional functions.

Modern professional social work managers not only accept, but

and exploit this ambiguity.

It is probably impossible to achieve absolute clarity about

functions of employees of organizations social services. Wide range of species

activities and situations covered may partly explain why control

consider how the educational process, how the management process, how the mixture of both

As social services are organized and expanded, as work on

studying the living conditions of disadvantaged families and helping them in the sphere of control arose

individual mentoring approach corresponding to an individual approach to each

occasion. The emphasis placed on the learning function of control has also been influenced by the development

university training of professionals. Control is perceived as a means of transmission

knowledge and skills from an experienced, trained worker to an inexperienced one. And in the region

professional education - from the teacher and practice manager to the student.

Social workers often express dissatisfaction with monitoring and controlling their

work, especially regarding over-dependence when using traditional forms. They

want to be seen as practicing professionals and not be controlled.

At the early stages of professional development based on the “mentor-student” model

knowledge is determined and principles of practical work are formed. Until knowledge

acquire transferable, generalized forms, trainees learn by following the example of the mentor, and

B.45 Social control: forms and types.

The efforts of society aimed at preventing deviant behavior, punishing and correcting deviants are defined by the concept of “social control”.

Social control- a mechanism for regulating relations between the individual and society in order to strengthen order and stability in society. IN narrow In the sense, social control is the control of public opinion, the publicity of results and assessments of people’s activities and behavior.

Social control includes two main elements: social norms and sanctions. Sanctions- any reaction on the part of others to the behavior of a person or group.

Kinds:Informal(intra-group) - based on approval or condemnation from a group of relatives, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, as well as from public opinion, which is expressed through traditions and customs or through the media.

Formal(institutional) - based on the support of existing social institutions (army, court, education, etc.)

In sociological science it is known 4 fundamental forms of social control:

External control (A set of institutions and mechanisms that guarantee compliance with generally accepted norms of behavior and laws)

Internal control (self-control);

Control through identification with a reference group;

Control through the creation of opportunities to achieve socially significant goals by means that are most suitable for a given person and approved by society (the so-called “multiple opportunities”).

In the process of socialization, norms are internalized so firmly that people, violating them, experience a feeling of awkwardness or guilt, pangs of conscience.

Generally accepted norms, being rational prescriptions, remain in the sphere of consciousness, below which lies the sphere of the subconscious, or unconscious, consisting of spontaneous impulses. Self-control means restraining the natural elements; it is based on volitional effort. The following are distinguished: social control mechanisms:

isolation - isolation of the deviant from society (for example, imprisonment);

isolation - limiting the deviant’s contacts with others (for example, placement in a psychiatric clinic);

rehabilitation is a set of measures aimed at returning the deviant to normal life.

B.46 Civil society and the state.

Civil society- this is a set of social relations, formal and informal structures that provide the conditions for human political activity, the satisfaction and implementation of various needs and interests of the individual and social groups and associations. A developed civil society is the most important prerequisite for building a rule of law state and its equal partner. Signs of civil society: the presence in society of free owners of the means of production; developed democracy; legal protection of citizens; a certain level of civic culture, high educational level of the population; the most complete provision of human rights and freedoms;

self management; competition between the structures that form it and various groups of people; freely formed public opinions and pluralism; strong social policy of the state; mixed economy; a large share of the middle class in society. The state of civil society, his needs and goals define the main features And social purpose of the state. Qualitative changes in the structure of civil society and the content of the main spheres of its activity inevitably lead to changes in the nature and forms of state power. At the same time, the state, having relative independence in relation to civil society, can significantly influence its condition. This influence is usually positive, aimed at maintaining stability and progressive development of civil society. Although history also knows opposite examples. The state as a special phenomenon of social power has qualitative characteristics. It is organized in the form of a state apparatus; carries out management of society through a system of functions and certain methods. Externally, the state is presented in various forms. Signs of the state— its qualitative features, expressing the characteristics of the state in comparison with other organizations exercising power and management functions in society. The main features of the state include: sovereignty, the territorial principle of the exercise of power, special public power, inextricable connection with law

B. 47 Mass consciousness and mass action. Forms of mass behavior.

Mass consciousness- the basis of mass actions and behavior. Mass actions can be poorly organized (panic, pogroms) or sufficiently prepared (demonstration, revolution, war). Much depends on whether the situation is realized or not, and whether leaders have been found capable of leading the rest.

Mass behavior(including spontaneous) is a term of political psychology that denotes various forms of behavior of large groups of people, crowds, circulation of rumors, panic and other mass phenomena.

Forms of mass behavior include: mass hysteria, rumors, gossip, panic, pogrom, riot.

mass hysteria- a state of general nervousness, increased excitability and fear caused by unfounded rumors (the medieval “witch hunt”, the post-war “Cold War”, trials of “enemies of the people” in the era of Stalinism, the media’s whipping up of the threat of a “third world war” in the 60s). 70 years, mass intolerance towards representatives of other nationalities.)

gossip- a set of information that arises from anonymous sources and is distributed through informal channels.

panic- this form of mass behavior when people faced with danger exhibit uncoordinated reactions. They act independently, usually interfering with and injuring each other.

pogrom- a collective act of violence undertaken by an uncontrolled and emotionally agitated crowd against property or a person.

riot- a collective concept denoting a number of spontaneous forms of collective protest: rebellion, unrest, unrest, uprising.

B. 48. Culture as a value system

culture is a system of values ​​accumulated by humanity over the long history of its development.

Concept, structure and types of social control

including all forms and methods of human self-expression and self-knowledge. Culture also appears as a manifestation of human subjectivity and objectivity (character, competencies, skills, abilities and knowledge). Basic elements of culture: language, customs, traditions, morals, laws, values.

Values- these are socially approved and shared by most people ideas about what goodness, justice, love, and friendship are. No society can exist without values. It is values ​​that are the defining element of culture, its core. They act like a) the desired, preferred state for a given social subject (individual, social community, society) of social connections, content of ideas, artistic form, etc.; b) a criterion for assessing real phenomena; c) they determine the meaning of purposeful activity; d) regulate social interactions; e) internally encourage activity. IN value system social subject may include different values:

1 ) life meaning (ideas about good and evil, happiness, purpose and meaning of life);

2 ) universal: a) vital (life, health, personal safety, welfare, family, education, qualifications, law and order, etc.); b) social recognition (hard work, social status, etc.); c) interpersonal communication (honesty, selflessness, goodwill);

d) democratic (freedom of speech, conscience, parties, national sovereignty, etc.);

3 ) particular: a) attachment to the small homeland, family; b) fetishisms (belief in God, striving for the absolute).

Main types of social control.

Social control- a system of methods and strategies by which society directs the behavior of individuals. In the ordinary sense, social control comes down to a system of laws and sanctions with the help of which an individual coordinates his behavior with the expectations of others and his own expectations from the surrounding social world.

Social control includes:

· expectations – expectations of others in relation to a given person;

· social norms are patterns that prescribe what people should do in specific situations;

· social sanction is a measure of influence.

Forms of social control– ways of regulating human life in society, determined by various social processes.

The most common forms of social control are:

v law – a set of normative acts that have legal force;

v taboo – a system of prohibitions on performing any actions;

v customs - ways of behavior of people common in a given society;

v traditions – such customs that have developed historically in connection with the culture of a given ethnic group;

v morality – customs associated with the understanding of good and evil in a given social group;

v morals - customs that characterize the forms of behavior of people in a particular social stratum;

v manners - a set of behavioral habits of a given person or social group;

v habit – an unconscious action that is automated in nature;

v etiquette – a set of rules of behavior relating to the external manifestation of attitude towards people.

Social norms– these are established standards of behavior from the point of view of society and specific social groups.

Most social norms are unwritten rules.

Signs of social norms:

1) general significance;

2) the possibility of applying sanctions (rewards or punishments);

3) the presence of a subjective side (freedom to comply with norms);

4) interdependence (systems of norms regulating the actions of people);

5) scale is divided into social (customs, traditions, laws) and group (mores, manners, habits).

Social sanction– a measure of influence, the most important means of social control.

Types of sanctions: negative and positive, formal and informal.

Negative sanctions are directed against a person who has deviated from social norms.

Positive sanctions are aimed at supporting and approving a person who follows these norms.

Formal sanctions are imposed by an official, public or government body or their representative.

Informal ones usually involve the reaction of group members, friends, colleagues, relatives, etc.

Positive sanctions are usually more influential than negative ones. The impact of sanctions depends on many circumstances, the most important of which is agreement on their application.

The concept of social deviation.

Social deviation - social behavior that deviates from accepted, socially acceptable behavior in a particular society. It can be both negative (alcoholism) and positive. Negative deviant behavior leads to the application by society of certain formal and informal sanctions (isolation, treatment, correction or punishment of the offender).

Causes of deviant behavior

· The basic premise of all theories of physical types is that certain physical traits of a person predetermine the various deviations from the norm that he commits.

· In accordance with sociological or cultural theories, individuals become deviants because the processes of socialization they undergo in a group are unsuccessful in relation to certain well-defined norms, and these failures affect the internal structure of the individual.

· deviant behavior is one of the ways of adapting culture to social changes. There is no modern society that has remained for a long time

Types of social deviations

Cultural and mental deviations.

Social control - types and main functions

Sociologists are primarily interested in cultural deviations, that is, deviations of a given social community from cultural norms.

Individual and group deviations.

Individual, when an individual rejects the norms of his subculture;

Group, considered as conformal behavior of a member of a deviant group in relation to its subculture

Primary and secondary deviations. Primary deviation refers to deviant behavior of an individual, which generally corresponds to cultural norms accepted in society. Secondary deviation is a deviation from existing norms in a group, which is socially defined as deviant.

Culturally approved deviance. Deviant behavior is always assessed from the point of view of the culture accepted in a given society:

Superintelligence.

Supermotivated.

Great achievements are not only a pronounced talent and desire, but also their manifestation in a certain place and at a certain time.

Culturally condemned deviations. Most societies support and reward social deviance in the form of extraordinary achievements and activities aimed at developing the generally accepted values ​​of the culture.

The function of primary social control is the moral regulation of the behavior of family members in various spheres of life, as well as responsibility and obligation in relations between spouses, parents and children, and representatives of the older generation. This function is also performed primarily by women. It carries out the formation and support of legal and moral sanctions in case of violation of the norms of relationships between family members. With the successful reproduction of the social structure of society in a small social group that meets general requirements, the provision of social status to each family member is ensured, and conditions are created to satisfy individual needs for social advancement.

Leisure function - its main goal is communication, maintaining harmony in the family between its members.

This function involves the organization of rational leisure with simultaneous social control and mutual enrichment. Carrying out holidays, relaxation evenings, hiking trips, reading fiction and scientific literature, watching TV shows, listening to the radio, visiting cinemas, theaters, museums, etc.

Leisure is a change of activity that excludes idle pastime. Unfortunately, parents, especially fathers, pay little attention to this function. A woman is more aware of this, imagining that organizing leisure time is a social function, a moral duty to society, since it contributes to the moral strengthening of the family. It is especially important to support children’s desire to communicate in clubs, hikes, etc. Awakening a love for nature, a sensitive attitude towards it, and the ability to see beauty is an extremely important point in the educational activities of the family.

Sexual function is the appropriate control over the moral side of intimate relationships between family members (spouses) while educating the individual about real ideas about intimate relationships. From the point of view of appropriate upbringing, parents cope poorly with this function. Prostitution, trafficking and exploitation of women are widespread in the country. Family education is opposed by the media, which actually supports this alarming social phenomenon.

The multifunctional role of a woman in a modern family cannot be justified either theoretically or practically.

It is necessary to develop a national mechanism for managing social processes that determine the position of women in a small social group, and creating conditions for the practical application in life of the theory of equality of family rights and responsibilities.

Ways to strengthen the family.

One of the manifestations of a family crisis is divorce. According to statistics, divorce proceedings are initiated mainly at the request of a woman, because... A woman in our time has become independent, she works, can support her family herself and does not want to put up with her husband’s shortcomings. In sociological surveys, more than half of men and women would like to remarry. Only a small part preferred solitude. In divorces, in addition to the spouses, there are also interested parties - children. The more divorces, the fewer children. This is the social harm of divorce. Divorce reduces the family's educational capabilities in relation to children. Children suffer great psychological trauma, which parents often do not think about. Many people know that they cause suffering to their children, but not many understand what they can lead to, how this will affect the child in his future life.

Divorce is assessed as a benefit only if it changes for the better the conditions for the formation of the child’s personality and puts an end to the negative impact of marital conflicts on the child’s psyche.

According to some psychologists, the cause of most family problems and divorces is the lack of love between spouses and peace of mind.

Social control

In other words, the cause of such social problems as violence, betrayal, drug or alcohol addiction, etc. Among married men and married women one must look for emotional poverty. That is why many modern thinkers are looking for ways to strengthen love between spouses.

At the state level, in order to prevent divorces, they are creating and expanding a system of preparing young people for marriage, as well as a socio-psychological service to help families and single people.

Back in the early 70s, sociological and demographic studies and population surveys revealed a shift in personal values ​​towards “material fetishism.” At that time, questions about family and children caused endless complaints about housing and financial difficulties. But children are not born solely for economic reasons. The intensive use of references to material obstacles to having children, called the “concept of obstacles” in sociological demography and family sociology, indicates the universality of alienation in this area.

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Other materials:

- a mechanism for maintaining social order through normative regulation, implying social actions aimed at preventing deviant behavior, punishing deviants or correcting them.

Concept of social control

The most important condition for the effective functioning of a social system is the predictability of social actions and social behavior of people, in the absence of which the social system will face disorganization and collapse. Society has certain means with the help of which it ensures the reproduction of existing social relations and interactions. One of these means is social control, the main function of which is to create conditions for the sustainability of the social system, maintaining social stability and at the same time for positive social changes. This requires flexibility from social control, including the ability to recognize positive-constructive deviations from social norms, which should be encouraged, and negative-dysfunctional deviations, to which certain sanctions (from the Latin sanctio - the strictest decree) of a negative nature must be applied, including including legal ones.

- this is, on the one hand, a mechanism of social regulation, a set of means and methods of social influence, and on the other hand, the social practice of their use.

In general, the social behavior of an individual occurs under the control of society and the people around him. They not only teach the individual the rules of social behavior in the process of socialization, but also act as agents of social control, monitoring the correct assimilation of patterns of social behavior and their implementation in practice. In this regard, social control acts as a special form and method of social regulation of people’s behavior in society. Social control is manifested in the subordination of an individual to the social group into which he is integrated, which is expressed in meaningful or spontaneous adherence to social norms prescribed by this group.

Social control consists of two elements— social norms and social sanctions.

Social norms are socially approved or legally enshrined rules, standards, patterns that regulate people’s social behavior.

Social sanctions are means of reward and punishment that encourage people to comply with social norms.

Social norms

Social norms- these are socially approved or legally enshrined rules, standards, patterns that regulate the social behavior of people. Therefore, social norms are divided into legal norms, moral norms and social norms themselves.

Legal norms - These are norms formally enshrined in various types of legislative acts. Violation of legal norms involves legal, administrative and other types of punishment.

Moral standards- informal norms that function in the form of public opinion. The main tool in the system of moral norms is public censure or public approval.

TO social norms usually include:

• group social habits (for example, “don’t turn up your nose in front of your own people”);
• social customs (eg hospitality);
• social traditions (for example, the subordination of children to parents),
• social mores (manners, morals, etiquette);
• social taboos (absolute prohibitions on cannibalism, infanticide, etc.). Customs, traditions, mores, taboos are sometimes called general rules of social behavior.

Social sanction

Sanction is recognized as the main instrument of social control and represents an incentive for compliance, expressed in the form of reward (positive sanction) or punishment (negative sanction). Sanctions can be formal, imposed by the state or specially authorized organizations and individuals, and informal, expressed by unofficial persons.

Social sanctions - they are means of reward and punishment that encourage people to comply with social norms. In this regard, social sanctions can be called a guardian of social norms.

Social norms and social sanctions are an inseparable whole, and if a social norm does not have an accompanying social sanction, then it loses its social regulatory function. For example, back in the 19th century. In Western European countries, the social norm was the birth of children only in a legal marriage. Therefore, illegitimate children were excluded from inheriting their parents’ property, they were neglected in everyday communication, and they could not enter into decent marriages. However, as society modernized and softened public opinion regarding illegitimate children, it began to gradually eliminate informal and formal sanctions for violating this norm. As a result, this social norm ceased to exist altogether.

The following are distinguished: mechanisms of social control:

• isolation - isolation of the deviant from society (for example, imprisonment);
• isolation - limiting the deviant’s contacts with others (for example, placement in a psychiatric clinic);
• rehabilitation is a set of measures aimed at returning the deviant to normal life.

Types of social sanctions

Although formal sanctions seem to be more effective, informal sanctions are actually more important to the individual. The need for friendship, love, recognition or the fear of ridicule and shame are often more effective than orders or fines.

During the process of socialization, forms of external control are internalized so that they become part of his own beliefs. An internal control system called self-control. A typical example of self-control is the torment of conscience of a person who has committed an unworthy act. In a developed society, self-control mechanisms prevail over external control mechanisms.

Types of Social Control

In sociology, two main processes of social control are distinguished: the application of positive or negative sanctions for an individual’s social behavior; interiorization (from the French interiorisation - transition from outside to inside) by an individual of social norms of behavior. In this regard, external social control and internal social control, or self-control, are distinguished.

External social control is a set of forms, methods and actions that guarantee compliance with social norms of behavior. There are two types of external control - formal and informal.

Formal social control, based on official approval or condemnation, is carried out by government bodies, political and social organizations, the education system, the media and operates throughout the country, based on written norms - laws, decrees, regulations, orders and instructions. Formal social control may also include the dominant ideology in society. When we talk about formal social control, we primarily mean actions aimed at making people respect laws and order with the help of government officials. Such control is especially effective in large social groups.

Informal social control, based on the approval or condemnation of relatives, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, public opinion, expressed through traditions, customs or the media. Agents of informal social control are social institutions such as family, school, and religion. This type of control is especially effective in small social groups.

In the process of social control, violation of some social norms is followed by very weak punishment, for example, disapproval, an unfriendly look, a grin. Violation of other social norms is followed by severe punishments - death penalty, imprisonment, expulsion from the country. Violation of taboos and legal laws is punished most severely; certain types of group habits, in particular family ones, are punished most leniently.

Internal social control— independent regulation by an individual of his social behavior in society. In the process of self-control, a person independently regulates his social behavior, coordinating it with generally accepted norms. This type of control manifests itself, on the one hand, in feelings of guilt, emotional experiences, “remorse” for social actions, and on the other hand, in the form of an individual’s reflection on his social behavior.

An individual’s self-control over his own social behavior is formed in the process of his socialization and the formation of socio-psychological mechanisms of his internal self-regulation. The main elements of self-control are consciousness, conscience and will.

- this is an individual form of mental representation of reality in the form of a generalized and subjective model of the surrounding world in the form of verbal concepts and sensory images. Consciousness allows an individual to rationalize his social behavior.

Conscience- the ability of an individual to independently formulate his own moral duties and demand that he fulfill them, as well as to make a self-assessment of his actions and deeds. Conscience does not allow an individual to violate his established attitudes, principles, beliefs, in accordance with which he builds his social behavior.

Will— a person’s conscious regulation of his behavior and activities, expressed in the ability to overcome external and internal difficulties when performing purposeful actions and deeds. Will helps an individual overcome his internal subconscious desires and needs, act and behave in society in accordance with his beliefs.

In the process of social behavior, an individual has to constantly struggle with his subconscious, which gives his behavior a spontaneous character, therefore self-control is the most important condition for people’s social behavior. Typically, individuals' self-control over their social behavior increases with age. But it also depends on social circumstances and the nature of external social control: the stricter the external control, the weaker the self-control. Moreover, social experience shows that the weaker an individual’s self-control, the stricter external control should be in relation to him. However, this is fraught with great social costs, since strict external control is accompanied by social degradation of the individual.

In addition to external and internal social control of an individual’s social behavior, there are also: 1) indirect social control, based on identification with a law-abiding reference group; 2) social control, based on the wide availability of a variety of ways to achieve goals and satisfy needs, alternative to illegal or immoral ones.

We all live surrounded by people, sharing our joys and sorrows with them. But not everyone wants to obey social norms and rules. For a certain orderliness of society, the concept of “social control” was introduced. These new phenomena in society are very effective. We all remember the social shaming developed during the heyday of the USSR. When a person did not want to work or was a hooligan, he was taken on bail, but the whole society condemned him for such inappropriate behavior. And it worked! The man, perhaps not of his own free will, but began to change. As a result, the society achieved its goal. Social control was introduced for the same purpose - to streamline interpersonal and social relations.

Social control: concept, types, functions

A society can be called organized and relatively safe only if there are mechanisms of self-control of citizens and social control of the state. The more developed the first concept is, the less social surveillance will be required on the part of authorities. Self-control is the responsible behavior of an adult who has developed the skills of volitional effort over himself at the level of self-awareness, control over his behavior in accordance with generally accepted norms in society.

It is natural for children to act capriciously, impulsively, spontaneously. An adult has internal self-control so as not to create conflicts or other unfavorable situations for himself and for society. If a society consists of people with an underdeveloped sense of responsibility, then it needs formal types of social control to be introduced by special bodies. But we must not forget that constant harsh oppression gradually makes self-control less and less significant, and, as a result, society is degrading, since there are fewer and fewer people who are able to think responsibly and control their will.

What are the main types of public control?

Existing types of social behavior management are divided into two large sections, which are called formal and informal.

The essence of formal control is the implementation of legislative and rational regulation by government bodies of management and supervision of the behavior of citizens. In case of violation of norms, the state applies sanctions.

Formal control was preceded by informal control, which still exists in society. Its essence lies in the self-organization of a certain social group, where the rules are not written, but are regulated by the opinions of group members, authoritative individuals, and elders.

How is formal control carried out?

Formal control has its roots in the historical period of formation of forms of social organization that go beyond the simple, that is, state. Today, the state form of organization of society has reached such a level of development that such types of social control as formal control simply must be highly organized. The larger the state, the more difficult it is to organize public order. Formal control is the organization of order throughout the entire state, that is, it has a global scale. Its functions are carried out by special people who receive government salaries (judges, police officers, psychiatrists). The developing social control in society and its types have led to the organization of entire institutions, structures and authorized bodies. These include the police, the prosecutor's office, courts, schools, the media and similar institutions.

Features of informal control

Informal management of behavior at the level of a large society is ineffective. It is localized and limited to the members of the group. For violation of the norms established in such social groups, punishment is applied, taking the form of threats or real actions: physical impact on the individual, rejection in communication, reproaches, ridicule, various types of censure... Informal types and forms of social control do not neglect sanctions in the form exclusion from the community, so-called ostracism. For a person to whom this group is important, such an action is very noticeable. He feels emptiness and hopelessness. This prompts him to take various actions to return to such a group or, conversely, to replace interests and reassess values.

How effective informal types and forms of social control and the level of its organization will depend on the degree of cohesion of members of a social group, unity in goals and opinion. Let's take, for example, a rural community of bygone times, the traditions of which are preserved in some places to this day - there were no clearly defined rules, but the preservation of rituals and various ceremonies fosters social behavior, norms and a deep understanding of the need to observe them.

Socialization as a form of control

In a traditional society with unwritten informal rules, the essence and types of social control are significantly different from a modern developed society, where all norms of individual behavior are strictly prescribed and enshrined in a set of laws. Sanctions in such a group of people are imposed in the form of fines, prison terms, administrative, disciplinary and criminal liability. To reduce violations of the law, the state, through its institutions and structures, carries out measures to socialize society - through education, cultural work, propaganda through the media, and so on.

Coercion of a person

If socialization methods do not work, we have to use types and methods of social control such as coercion. If an individual does not want to voluntarily submit, society forces him to do so by force. Coercion includes the main types of social control, which are described in the norms of each state, based on its norms and laws. Coercion can be local, preventive, for example at the place of work, using the basic laws of the state. It can also be carried out immediately without warning, using harsh forms of influence on a person. This coercive type of social control is the psychological influence on an individual through psychiatric clinics with the use of medication.

Forms of human responsibility

If a person does not show responsibility in his work or behavior, the state takes on the functions of educating such a citizen using various methods. These methods are not always as humane as we would like. For example, surveillance is not a very humane form of instilling responsibility on the part of the state. It is carried out in different ways.

Supervision can be general, when the supervisory authority monitors the implementation of general standards, without going into details, looking only at the final result. It can also be detailed, when the controller agent monitors every detail, regulating the implementation of the necessary standards at every stage. State-wide supervision can evolve into forms where not only behavior is regulated, but also thoughts and private life. That is, the state takes forms of total control, fosters denunciation, applies censorship, surveillance and other methods.

In a developed civil democratic society, social control (types of sanctions) is not total. Citizens are taught responsible behavior that does not require coercion. Responsibility can be political, moral, legal, financial. Group and collective responsibility, bound by cultural values, traditions and norms, is very important. When a person is in a team, he has a desire to fit in with a significant group of people. Without noticing, he changes, trying to imitate the members of the team. Such a change in behavior does not imply pressure and violent influence on the individual.

Implementation of internal control

Internal behavior management implies the concept and types of social control that regulate measures aimed at the effective implementation by citizens of structural units of the tasks assigned to them. Thus, an audit and control body is formed that checks the financial part, business and job descriptions, compliance with sanitary and epidemiological standards, and the like.

On the other hand, internal control refers to human responsibility. A well-mannered and responsible person will not allow himself to commit offenses or any actions that are contrary to the basic norms of society. Self-control is developed in childhood. But also, with the help of certain methods, a person can be encouraged to take responsibility and regulate his behavior, emotions, words and actions.

What are the main functions of social control?

Internal social control, the types, functions by which it is characterized are controllability of powers to avoid abuse in the workplace, verification of document flow and safety of material assets. As for the functions of social control in general, they can be divided into:

1. Regulatory.
2. Protective.
3. Stabilizing.

Regulatory – ensures the regulation of relations and their management at all stages of development of society and its levels. Protective – aims to protect all traditional values ​​accepted in society, to stop all attempts to break and destroy these traditions. Stabilizing – takes measures to maintain public order in accordance with the norms adopted by law, predicts the behavior of individuals and social groups, preventing actions aimed at destabilizing public order.

A society without values ​​is doomed to destruction. This is what unites and expresses the goals and aspirations of society and its individual citizens. Values ​​have their own classification and hierarchy.

• spiritual;
• material;
• economic;
• political;
• social.

According to the direction:

• integrating;
• differentiating;
• approved;
• denied.

They are also divided according to needs and type of civilization. In general, we can say that values ​​are classified into:

• formed under the influence of traditions and modernity;
• primary basic and secondary;
• expressing the ideals of society (terminal);
• expressing tools for achieving a goal (instrumental).

Whatever the type of value, its main task is to be a measure of the level of socialization of society and the implementation of laws and behavioral norms adopted in it. In the USSR, oddly enough, values ​​were based on the principles of the Bible. The person was condemned for promiscuity, disrespect towards parents, theft, and envy. After the massive revolutions of freedom, the so-called sexual revolutions, the values ​​of society were turned upside down. The institution of family has lost its former significance, children began to show less respect for their parents. Without a basis, it is difficult to instill responsibility and control the correct behavior of people. Now social control no longer performs an educational function, but a punitive one.

The Role of Social Control Agents

In modern society, there are certain people - agents who exercise social control. These people have undergone special training to properly organize society. Agents of social control are police officers, doctors (psychiatrists), judges, and social workers. They do not work with enthusiasm, but receive a certain payment for their work. It is difficult to imagine modern society without these people, since they are a kind of guarantors of previously adopted decrees, instructions, laws and regulations of the legislative branch of the state.

Social control today is not based on the principle “grandmother said so”; with the loss of the authority of elders, other control methods have appeared, which are determined by the state. At the moment, society is organized by institutions. These institutions are varied:

• police;
• prosecutor's office;
• places of detention;
• mass media;
• school;
• social services.

These bodies are authorized by the state to maintain, regulate and improve public order through the application of punitive or educational methods to specific people. Naturally, all these methods are used strictly according to the instructions of higher authorities. If a person or group of people does not listen to the recommendations or decisions of agents of social control, sanctions are applied to them: criminal punishment, disciplinary or administrative liability.