Hirschi About The Social Control Theory

Hirschi About The Social Control Theory “The highest possible stage in moral culture is when we recognize that we ought to control our thoughts and actions”, Charles Darwin. Social control theory definition Social control is a concept within the disciplines of the social science. Social control, within sociology, refers to the many ways in which our behavior, thoughts, and appearance are regulated by the norms, rules, laws, and social structures of society. Social control is a necessary component of social order, for society could not exist without it. Hirschi’s social control theory The Social Control Theory, originally known as The Social Bond Theory in 1969, was developed by Travis Hirschi. The central question of the theory asks why do people follow the law? The theory suggests that people engage in criminal activity when their bond to society has weakened. Hirschi states that “social control theory refers to a perspective which predicts that when social constraints on antisocial behavior are weakened or absent, delinquent behavior emerges.” Social disorganization theory points to broad social factors as the cause of deviance. A person is not born a criminal, but becomes one over time, often based on factors in his or her social environment. This deviance in his behanior is seen to result where feelings of disconnection from society predominate. Individuals who believe they are a part of society are less likely to commit crimes against it. Social bonds and restraints Hirschi identified four types of social bonds that connect people to society: Attachment measures our connections to others. People conform to society’s norms in order to gain approval (and prevent disapproval) from family, friends, and romantic partners when they are closely attached to people and worry about their opinion. Commitment refers to the investments we make in conforming to conventional behaviour. A well-respected local businesswoman who volunteers at her synagogue and is a member of the neighbourhood block organization has more to lose from committing a crime than a woman who does not have a career or ties to the community. Similarly, levels of involvement, or participation in socially legitimate activities, lessen a person’s likelihood of deviance. The final bond, belief, is an agreement on common values in society. If a person views social values as beliefs, he or she will conform to them. An environmentalist is more likely to pick up trash in a park because a clean environment is a social value to that person. Forms of Social control Social control tends to take one of two different forms: informal or formal. Informal social control refers to our conformity to the norms and values of the society, and adoption of a particular belief system, which we learn through the process of socialization. This form of social control is enforced by family, primary caregivers, peers, other authority figures like coaches and teachers, and by colleagues. Informal social control is enforced by rewards and sanctions. Reward often takes the form of praise or compliments, but also takes other common forms, like high marks on school work, promotions at work, and social popularity. Sanctions used to enforce informal social control from confused and disapproving looks, to conversations with family, peers, and authority figures, to social ostracization, among others. Formal social control is that which is produced and enforced by the state (government) and representatives of the state that enforce its laws like police, military, and other city, state, and federal agencies. Social control theory in criminology Unlike most criminology theories that purport to explain why people offend, control theory offers the justification for why people obey rules. Social control theories, however, focus primarily on external factors and the processes by which they become effective. Deviance and crime occur because of inadequate constraints. Crime and deviance are considered predictable behaviors that society has not curtailed. Explaining conformity, particularly the process by which people are socialized to obey the rules, is the essence of social control theory. Thus, social control theory focuses on how the absence of close relationships with conventional others can free individuals from social constraints, thereby allowing them to engage in delinquency. Why people commit crime? Many people have their own theories on what makes a criminal. Some of these theories are based on first hand knowledge or experience, some unfortunately may be based on racism or prejudice, and some on scientifically investigated studies. The causes of crime are complex. Most people today accept that poverty, parental neglect, low self-esteem, alcohol and drug abuse are all connected in explaining why people commit crimes. For example, it is much easier to steal money than to work for it. So in the eyes of control theorists, crime requires no special explanation: it is often the most expedient way to get what one wants. Some people are simply at greater risk of becoming offenders because of the circumstances into which they are born. Individualists tend to focus on individual weakness or lack of values as the reason why people commit crimes. Examining why people commit crime is very important in the ongoing debate of how crime should be handled and prevented. Any society must have harmony and order. Where there is no harmony or order the society actually does not exist because society is a harmonious organization of human relationships. The results of social control are not always beneficial to society or to the individual. Using the force to influence on individuals to correct the deviation in their behavior is not always a good option on solving the problem. It may cause mental disorders, psychosomatic illnesses and other disorders and, as the result, to increase the number of psychopaths and sociopaths in our society. One of the reasons that individuals comply with norm prescriptions and avoid counter-normative actions or attitudes is fear of social negative evaluation by others. In the worst cases, individuals tend to respond with the force or to resign completely to act in accordance to social norms. This type of behavior called “rebel”- one may be followed by crimes made on purpose as they could be performed as a form of disobedience in the future. However, social control is necessary to protect social interests and satisfy common needs. If social control is removed and every individual is left to behave freely society would be reduced to a state of lawlessness.