social control
Enforced norm compliance
Social control is the set of mechanisms—laws, norms, customs, surveillance, social pressure—by which a society regulates individual behavior and maintains order.
The term appears in sociology and political science, sometimes neutrally Social control helps communities function, sometimes critically to describe systems that enforce conformity or suppress dissent: The surveillance state is a tool of social control.
Traditional practices or import taxes
- moresBinding social standards
- traditionsLong-established customs passed down
- taboosSocially proscribed practices
- folkwaysCustomary community behaviors
etiquette · propriety · decorum · civility · manners · protocol · unwritten rules · deviance
Established organizations or practices
- religionSystem of spiritual belief
- educationSystematic development of mind
- mediaInformation distribution channels
- familyRelated people together
workplace · prison · asylum · reformatory · panopticon · discipline · gatekeeping · credentialing
Deliberate fear-inducing pressure
- forceStrength or compulsion
- repressionUnconscious blocking of thoughts
- oppressionUnjust exercise of power
- subjugationForcing into submission
suppression · tyranny · totalitarianism · authoritarianism · propaganda · censorship · surveillance · indoctrination
Penalty for an offense
- penaltiesPunishments for infractions
- ostracismBanishment from a group
- shamingCausing feelings of disgrace
- exclusionBeing barred from participation
banishment · excommunication · public humiliation · gossip · blacklisting · cancellation · shunning · disapproval
Influence from one's equals
- groupthinkConformity-driven poor decisions
- complianceAdhering to requirements
- obedienceCompliance with authority
- assimilationAbsorbing into a whole
uniformity · herd behavior · fitting in · normalization · self-censorship · internalization · acquiescence · respectability
How authority is exercised
- powerEnergy transfer rate
- hierarchyRanked authority structure
- leadershipAbility to direct others
- dominanceSuperior influence over others
hegemony · jurisdiction · sovereignty · command · oversight · regime · administration · management
Enforceable societal rules
- legislationOfficial enactment of statutes
- policyAdopted principle of action
- rulesPrinciples governing behavior
- statutesFormally enacted laws
enforcement · monitoring · surveillance · licensing · permits · zoning · curfews · restrictions
customs
Traditional practices or import taxes
- moresBinding social standards
- traditionsLong-established customs passed down
- taboosSocially proscribed practices
folkways · etiquette · propriety · decorum · civility · manners · protocol · unwritten rules · deviance · stigma
institutions
Established organizations or practices
- religionSystem of spiritual belief
- educationSystematic development of mind
- mediaInformation distribution channels
family · workplace · prison · asylum · reformatory · panopticon · discipline · gatekeeping · credentialing · medicalization
intimidation
Deliberate fear-inducing pressure
- forceStrength or compulsion
- repressionUnconscious blocking of thoughts
- oppressionUnjust exercise of power
subjugation · suppression · tyranny · totalitarianism · authoritarianism · propaganda · censorship · surveillance · indoctrination · brainwashing
punishment
Penalty for an offense
- penaltiesPunishments for infractions
- ostracismBanishment from a group
- shamingCausing feelings of disgrace
exclusion · banishment · excommunication · public humiliation · gossip · blacklisting · cancellation · shunning · disapproval · ridicule
peer pressure
Influence from one's equals
- groupthinkConformity-driven poor decisions
- complianceAdhering to requirements
- obedienceCompliance with authority
assimilation · uniformity · herd behavior · fitting in · normalization · self-censorship · internalization · acquiescence · respectability · conventionality
governance
How authority is exercised
- powerEnergy transfer rate
- hierarchyRanked authority structure
- leadershipAbility to direct others
dominance · hegemony · jurisdiction · sovereignty · command · oversight · regime · administration · management · ruling class
laws
Enforceable societal rules
- legislationOfficial enactment of statutes
- policyAdopted principle of action
- rulesPrinciples governing behavior
statutes · enforcement · monitoring · surveillance · licensing · permits · zoning · curfews · restrictions · prohibition
- Dystopia1984, Nineteen Eighty-Four, dystopian fiction, totalitarianism, Brave New World
- sociologystratification, norms, class, habitus, deviance
- conformity themespeer pressure, conformity, group think, obedience, uniformity
- law and societylegal institutions, legal systems, rule of law, criminology, criminal justice
- social changecultural shift, cultural fusion, globalization, assimilate, integrate
- criminologycrime, criminology, criminal behavior, criminologist, criminalization
social controlanarchy
Disorder from absent authority
chaos · lawlessness · disorder · anomie · mob rule
social controlfreedom
Absence of constraint
liberty · self-determination · individual freedom · emancipation · free will
social controlindividualism
Doctrine of personal independence
personal autonomy · self-rule · civil liberties · human rights · laissez-faire
control, social, society, sociable, antisocial, socialize, unsocial, sociability, socializing