The Need for Social Control Lesson

Roman History The story of the Fall of the Roman Empire is told in history classes around the world and was the subject of an epic movie during the 1960s. Why? Because it is a cautionary tale, a symbol, of what can happen when social control is lost. The Roman Empire lasted for some 500 years in the West and a thousand years more in the East. It was an empire characterized by some of the most important innovations of that day and history, aquaducts, concrete, "newspapers," institutional welfare, bound books, roads and highways, arches, the Julian calendar (which aligned the calendar with the solar year,) the Roman legal system (which introduced the ideas of "innocent until proven guilty" along with the terms of subpoena, habeas corpus, pro bono, and affidavit,) and battlefield surgery (among Rome's other surgical restylings). It was an empire, that when it failed, led to a 14^th century scholar to dub the eight centuries following the fall as "the dark ages." (In the 1330s, the Italian scholar Petrarch coined the term 'the dark ages' to describe the period following the fall of the Roman Empire; although no longer popularly used, this term is often linked to the lack of written records from the period which prevents a true understanding of what happened during the time, now popularly, referred to as the early Middle Ages.)

Let's look at the various theories that explain why the Roman Empire ended. Of those myriad theories, four categories of descriptions emerge: moral decay, monocausal decay, catastrophic collapse, and transformation. The arguments for social decay in the Roman empire include the loss of civic virtue among its citizens, an introduction of a new religion (Christianity,) a migration away from cities, a declining economy, lack of new innovations, huge military expenditure, and numerous civil wars between factions within the army. Some explanations for a monocausal decay that caused the end of the Roman Empire point to a shrinking population due to epidemic diseases, environmental degradation that resulted in land that could no longer feed the populace, or (the most contested of theories) lead poisoning brought on by people trying to sweeten their food without honey by making artificial sweeteners in lead pots. Among the historians who argue about the theories of the catastrophic collapse of the Roman Empire are people who point out that the economic decline, the Germanic expansion, the depopulation of locals (due to migration or death,) the dependency of foreigners to provide manpower for the military (who weren't that loyal to those in authority,) the treason among the political ranks that led to the death of good leaders or the lack of qualified successors combined to end the Roman Empire. Lastly are those scholars who argue that the Roman Empire didn't "fall," it merely transformed due to the changes in its population. It is the job of historians to argue which of these categories is a more reasonable argument. The essential point for sociologists is that a society ended and a new one began. A sociologist is fundamentally interested in asking what led to the breakdown of social control, and thereby order, in the Roman Empire and how that breakdown resulted in a new society.

Many sociologists developed theories as to why there is a need for social control.

Sociologists conclude that that strong social control and norms are necessary to protect society from chaos and disintegration such as experienced by the Roman Empire of old.

Over the years, certain explanations emerged that explain how social control edifies social order.

Need for Social Control

The Reestablishment of the Old

Social control works to keep the existing order intact. By guiding thoughts and behaviors, social control helps to maintain continuity and uniformity even during times of change for different generations within a society.

The Regulation of Individual Behavior

Through the use of sanctions, social control establishes a sense of individual responsibility for the welfare of the society.

The Obedience to Social Decisions

Social control guides compliance with those decisions made by society that will ultimately maintain and uphold society's values. By providing moral guidance, social control allows a community to avoid the pitfalls of anomie.

The Establishment of Social Unity

By regulating individual behavior, social control creates a uniformity of behavior among individuals in a society. This uniformity, in turn, unites the individuals.

The Rendering of Solidarity

Through the unification of individuals comes solidarity. In this way, social control helps society grow in strength so as to protect itself from those that would destroy it from within and without. In a sense, it helps create an environment of "all for one and one for all."

The Creation of Conformity

Social control encourages conformity to society's norms and expected behaviors. Conformity allows for a protective "bubble" to form around society allowing it to continue on its current path.

The Encouragement of Adjustment

Society changes. Everyone knows that. However, not everyone is able to adapt to the changes brought on by a society's shift in norms. Social control steers the maladjusted back into the fold.

Social Bonding

By allowing ourselves to bond with other members of society, we are accepting the need for social bonding as well as the need for the use of social controls in our lives. American sociologist Travis Hirschi developed a theory as to how we bond with other members of society called Social Bonding Theory . According to his theory, there are four basic elements of social bonds in society:

Select each question mark (?) to learn more about the 4 basic elements of social bonds in society.

For whatever reason a person does bond with an individual or a group, the result is an acceptance of the individual's or group's norms and a desire to conform.

Despite social control, people in a society are individuals with individual thoughts and feelings who may resist social control.

While, ideally, socialization would be enough to create an orderly society out of those who have bonded together, no two humans are alike, even if they grow up in the same environment. Therefore, as humans, we recognize that there's more to our decision-making processes than just what we were taught by those with whom we've bonded. In an ideal culture, everyone would behave as they were instructed to during the socialization process; but the fact of the matter is we live in a real culture, hence the existence of social control.

Social Control Key Term Review Activity

Turn each card to review your key terms. Use the > to advance through terms.

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