9699 · 1.2
Social control, conformity and resistance flashcards
Revision flashcards for Cambridge 9699 Social control, conformity and resistance (syllabus 1.2). Flip, recall, then mark a real past-paper question.
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Formal social control?
Institutional sanctions — law, police, courts, prisons.
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Informal social control?
Everyday sanctions — praise, ridicule, ostracism, stigma.
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Hirschi — social bonds?
Attachment, commitment, involvement, belief — weak bonds → deviance.
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Marxist view of law?
Ruling-class tool protecting capitalist property relations.
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Functionalist view of deviance?
Durkheim — boundary maintenance; too much/too little threatens social order.
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Resistance examples?
Subcultures, political protest, everyday rule-breaking.
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What is formal social control?
The process of enforcing social norms through official state agencies. It is based on codified laws and involves formal sanctions like fines or imprisonment. Examples include the police, courts, and prison system.
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What is informal social control?
The process of enforcing unwritten social norms in everyday interactions. It is carried out by social groups like family and peers, using informal sanctions such as praise, ridicule, or social exclusion.
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Define 'conformity' in a sociological context.
The act of aligning one's behaviour, attitudes, and beliefs with the dominant norms and values of a social group or society. It is a product of successful socialisation and social control.
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Explain the concept of 'resistance' as distinct from 'deviance'.
While deviance is any violation of a norm, resistance is a conscious, often collective, act of opposition to dominant norms or power structures. Resistance has an element of awareness and purpose that is not always present in deviance.
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What is a 'sanction' in sociology?
Any reaction from others to an individual's or group's behaviour that is intended to enforce a social norm. Sanctions can be positive (rewards for conformity) or negative (punishments for deviance), and formal or informal.
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What is a 'moral panic'?
An exaggerated, media-fuelled public outcry over a particular group or activity, which is seen as a threat to social order. The group becomes a 'folk devil'. Coined by Stanley Cohen.
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What is 'anomie'?
A concept from Durkheim describing a state of 'normlessness' where social norms are weak, conflicting, or absent. It can lead to higher rates of deviance and suicide.
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What did Paul Willis's 'Learning to Labour' study show?
It showed how a group of working-class 'lads' developed a 'counter-school culture' that consciously resisted the values of the school. This resistance prepared them for the manual labour jobs they expected to get, thus reproducing class inequality.
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What are 'Repressive State Apparatuses' (RSAs)?
A Marxist concept from Althusser. RSAs are institutions that maintain social control through force or the threat of it. Examples include the police, army, and prisons. They contrast with Ideological State Apparatuses (ISAs).