Need
The need and importance of social control has been recognised by all social thinkers. Individuals differ in their interests and capabilities . If each individual is allowed unrestricted freedom to act and behave , it may lead to anarchy and disorder in the society . The resultant conflicts , frequent and persistent , would be a constant drain on society's energy and efficiency .
As an analogy , we could consider traffic movement on roads in the absence of any traffic rules and traffic signals , etc. It is easy to imagine the chaos that would rule the roads and the unending traffic jams that would follow . If we add to it the frustration of the drivers and their heated tempers . It is easy to understand that the end result is totally undesirable . The fact that traffic rules help to maintain order and efficient movement of vehicles is only due to the presence of control .
The situation in society would be no different if there was no accepted mode of behaviour . Individuals , therefore , have to be made to co - exist in a manner that benefits them as well as the groups they comprise of social control becomes a necessity for the following reasons :
( i ) to maintain the old order - For continuity and uniformity of a social group , it is important that the old social order is maintained . This function is fulfilled by the family . The old members of the family initiate and socialise the young ones into their traditions , value patterns and accepted forms of behaviour .
( ii ) to regulate individual behaviour - Individuals vary in their ideas , interests , attitudes and habits , etc. Even children of the same parents think and behave differently . Thus their behaviour needs to be regulated in accordance with the established norms which would lead to uniformity and solidarity of the group .
( iii ) to check cultural maladjustment - Society is changing at a rapid pace . The changes threaten to uproot the existing social system and replace it with a new system . There is a need for greater social control in order to distinguish between good and bad and to retain one's sense of balance and judgement .
Purpose
Sociologists attribute many purposes of social control . The aim of social control is to bring about conformity in a particular group or society .
At times , out of sheer ignorance , individuals could act in a manner that may or may not benefit them . But certainly society's interests lie at the collective level . There are other situations when the individual is perfectly aware of the ill effects of his actions on the society but he continues with his behaviour because it increases his welfare . For instance , in an industry where the owner is fully aware of the harmful effects of pollution but does not install pollution control device because he wants to maximise his profits at the cost of safeguarding the collective interests . Society seeks to regulate the individual behavior. The purpose of social control is to regulate the interests of both the individual and the group in a way that is beneficial to both.
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