Issues of social control

AO1 introduction/definition

• Social control: the regulation of individual or group behaviour as a method of enforcing conformity and compliance to established norms of expectations 

• Determines the extent to which psychology is used to retain order or be used to exert undue control over citizens (e.g. for the good of the individual or for control of the individual in society) 

Cognitive

(+)

• Knowledge of Reconstructive memory raises awareness about the inaccuracies of memory, particularly in important events such as EWTs (e.g. Jennifer Thompson and Ronald Cotton). Led to the creation of the police cognitive interview

• Knowledge of memory, for example episodic and semantic memories from Tulving’s LTM model can be used to support those with Dementia and provide recall cues. Dementia villages, controlling environment to reduce distress 

• CLASSICS: Baddeley. Knowledge on semantic encoding of the LTM used in classroom settings to help promote better education, techniques such as the mind map

(-)

• Knowledge of the inaccuracies of memories could allow individuals, lawyers, solicitors or police to manipulate someone’s memories through the use of leading questions, changing their schemas. Authority figures or those in leadership positions have the potential to change opinions in this way. Loftus and Palmer experiment

Social

(+)

• Agency theory describes separate agentic and autonomous state, as tested by Milgram’s study. Obedience is necessary within society to maintain order and the structure of society. The criminal justice system relies on obedience to laws, obedience within the army etc. 

• Whistle blowing policies avoid the abuse of power 

• CLASSIC: Sherif’s Robber’s Cave showed that behaviour and prejudice can be controlled through the introduction of superordinate goals, can be used in school systems and workplaces, idea of a ‘jigsaw classroom’

(-)

• Control of behaviour, dictatorship, My Lai massacre and the Holocaust  

• Milgram’s experiment used gradual commitment technique, increasing the voltage in 15V stages. This can be seen in real life, for example the Rwandan genocide, the radio station gradually increased in the severity of the messages announced – gradual commitment

• CLASSICS: Sherif’s knowledge can be used conversely to create prejudice. Political leaders or authority figures are able to create the sense of an in-group and out-group, ‘us’ vs ‘them’ used to create violence and hostility, use of a scarce resource to show competition e.g. blaming immigrants for taking jobs, economic stress 

Learning

(+)

• SLT and Bandura’s Bobo Doll experiment shows importance of positive role models used to promote positive behaviours. 9pm watershed, show aggression being punished on TV

• Operant conditioning through reward and punishment used to encourage positive behaviours in schools, token economies in prisons 

• CLASSICS: Little Albert study showed ability to learn new behaviours through association, classical conditioning -influenced the creation of phobia treatments, aversion therapies for alcoholism and addiction. More functioning individuals within society, able to leave the house and work, boosts society and economy, allows better control over these individuals

(-)

• Negative role models in the media, learning aggressive behaviours or inducing mental health issues e.g. Bandura Bobo Doll study, Becker’s study on anorexia  

• Use of operant and classical conditioning to control people’s behaviour and enforce obedience, rise of individuals with unchallenged power

• CLASSICS: Little Albert knowledge - use of aversion therapy as a supposed ‘cure’ for homosexuality by forcing gay men to experience unpleasant unethical experiences like electric shocks to the genitals when looking at images of men

Biological

(+)

• CLASSICS: Raine PET scans proved biological basis of aggression. Used for screening and early intervention in helping people to manage their aggression, use of anger management schemes or drugs. This should reduce number of aggressive crimes, meaning less strain on police force 

• Operation encompass was established as an information sharing policy between schools and the police for children in domestically abusive households. Helps schools identify who is in need of intervention

(-)

• Raine early intervention, risk of emphasising determinism over free will. Gene screening and gene counselling for genes predisposing aggression could lead to ethical issues of social gene engineering and abortion, or could implicate upon the criminal justice system and pre-emptive or unnecessary incarceration 

• Removes personal responsibility and accountability from the actions of criminals

Clinical

(+)

• Antidepressant and antipsychotic drug treatments in improving quality of life, reducing strain on hospitals and families of sufferers. Improve individual contribution within society

• Development of diagnostic systems such as the DSM and ICD allow those suffering to be recognised, provided the correct treatments. Updates to both over time

(-)

• Drug treatments to control behaviour, chemical straitjacket consent involved in this treatment. Side effects of typical antipsychotics e.g. tardive dyskinesia  

• Gene screening and gene counselling in heritable genes such as schizophrenia, risks of abortion, eugenics and desire to create a perfect race 

• CLASSICS: Rosenhan’s study showed validity issues with diagnostic systems, controlling behaviour by institutionalising individuals that may not even have a condition. Influence of large pharmaceutical companies on publication of results from studies and medication
  (used as a tool in politics e.g. soviet union branding opposition as mentally ill)

Child (to update)

(+)

• Helps to reduce the effects of deprivation and privation on children by educating parents and practitioners 

• Improve day care for children

(-)

• Ethical stress on labelling what ‘good parenting’ is, Bowlby’s theory was very mother-centric, induces expectations on motherhood - social control of keeping women within the domestic sphere, expected to be housewives and mothers.

• CLASSICS: Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg applied eurocentric procedure of SST to different countries - cultural differences in child raising practices not taken into account, risk of imposing western centric bias in what is deemed to be an appropriate attachment style or parenting type