(855) 4-ESSAYS

Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

Cultural And Social Controls


            Cultural control and social control are two ways that a society seeks to modify the behavior of its members and maintain order. A definition of both cultural and social control, an exploration of the differences between these controls, and how they affect one another will be given. .
             Cultural control is the belief system of a culture. It is the ingrained teachings of a society that make a person responsible for his own conduct. Cultural control relies on a person's basic knowledge of acceptable and unacceptable behavior that will deter that person from performing unacceptable actions. The positive or negative opinions of others in the culture serve as the major deterrent in cultural control.
             Social control is the management of a culture through the use of force. This force comes in the form of sanctions. A sanction is a control placed on members of a society to promote acceptable social behaviors. .
             The biggest difference between cultural control and social control deals with sanctions. Cultural control relies on both positive and negative sanctions. Social control relies on negative sanctions exclusively and they are usually stronger than just peer disapproval. Positive sanctions are incentives to conform by giving out awards, praise and recognition by ones peers. Negative sanctions take the form of punishment or exclusion from your community. Formal negative sanctions are laws. .
             Cultural control is much subtler than social control. Cultural control cannot lock people away or cause them bodily harm; it can only rely on positive praise and monetary award, or negative ridicule, disdain and gossip. Some examples of positive sanctions are awards for philanthropy and being promoted for a job well done which earns a person the admiration and respect of the community. .
             The most powerful positive sanctions are much more basic though. Which individual is more likely to get a well paying corporate job? It is the individual in the suit and tie rather than the one in baggy pants with a nose ring.


Essays Related to Cultural And Social Controls


Got a writing question? Ask our professional writer!
Submit My Question