POLITICAL/LEADERSHIP STRUCTURES AND SOCIAL CONTROL

Political Organization

any organization that involves itself in the political process, including political parties, non-governmental organizations, advocacy groups, and special interest groups.

Bands

the smallest and most primitive political organization. They consist of a few families with no formal leadership positions. They live autonomously and typically practice hunting and gathering. Social order is achieved through informal public opinion, such as gossip and avoidance.

Tribes

political groups larger than bands that are primarily food producers. They value agriculture and husbandry more than hunting and gathering. Social order is maintained through kinship and family systems led by a community head. They are held together by common culture or religion.

Chiefdoms

more complex political organizations than tribes and bands. They have a social and political structure led by a chief who holds a formal position of power, usually determined by heredity. They are based on hierarchy and authority.

States

the most politically organized and structurally developed type of society. They are self-governing societies that practice bureaucracy and protect their people and territories through their own military.

State

a human political institution and community of persons that holds sovereignty over its citizens. It includes the land within its borders and the government that represents it.

Social Control

the way norms, rules, laws, and structures of society regulate human behavior. It maintains social order and allows societies to function properly.

Informal Social Control

involves conformity to the norms and values of society and adoption of a belief system learned through socialization. It is enforced by family members, teachers, peers, and colleagues.

Rewards and Punishments in Informal Social Control

rewards include praise, compliments, good grades, job promotions, and social popularity. Punishments include ending relationships, teasing, poor grades, job loss, or withdrawal of communication.

Formal Social Control

social control enforced by official agencies such as the police, military, government agencies, judiciary, and penal systems. It maintains order by addressing unlawful or dangerous behavior.

Conformity

changing behaviors in order to fit in or go along with the people around you. It involves giving in to group pressure or acting in a way accepted by the group.

External Means of Control

a way individuals conform because an authority figure threatens sanctions if the individual disobeys.