Social Control, Conformity And Resistance: The Role Of Structure And Agency In Shaping The Relationship Between The Individual And Society, Including An Awareness Of The Differences Between Structuralist And Interactionist Views. (Copy)
Structuralism / Functionalism (Émile Durkheim, Talcott Parsons)
Core Idea
- Structure dominates behaviour → individuals are shaped by social institutions
- Social order is maintained through consensus and socialisation
Application to Structure vs Agency
- Structure
- Society exists as an external force shaping individuals
- Institutions (family, education, religion) guide behaviour
- Agency
- Limited role → individuals largely conform to societal expectations
- Social Control
- Maintained through norms, values and informal sanctions
- Individuals conform because they internalise shared values
- Conformity
- Occurs naturally due to value consensus
- Deviance seen as rare and disruptive
- Resistance
- Minimal → most individuals accept societal rules
- Structuralist View
- Behaviour is shaped by external structures
- Society shapes the individual
- Application
- The relationship is one where structure dominates and individuals conform for stability
Marxism (Karl Marx, Louis Althusser)
Core Idea
- Structure dominates through economic system and class relations
- Social control is maintained through ideology and power
Application to Structure vs Agency
- Structure
- Capitalist system shapes behaviour and opportunities
- Institutions act as ideological state apparatus
- Agency
- Limited due to false consciousness
- Individuals unaware of exploitation
- Social Control
- Maintained through ideology, media, education
- Also through coercion if needed
- Conformity
- People conform because they believe system is fair
- Resistance
- Possible through class consciousness and revolution
- Structuralist View
- Society is structured around class inequality
- Behaviour determined by economic structure
- Application
- Relationship is shaped by power and inequality, with limited agency but potential resistance
Feminism (Ann Oakley)
Core Idea
- Structure (patriarchy) shapes behaviour
- Social control operates through gender norms
Application to Structure vs Agency
- Structure
- Patriarchal institutions shape women’s roles and opportunities
- Agency
- Women may resist but are constrained by structural inequalities
- Social Control
- Enforced through expectations about gender roles
- Conformity
- Women conform due to social pressure and cultural expectations
- Resistance
- Feminist movements challenge patriarchy
- Structuralist View
- Gender inequality is embedded in social structures
- Application
- Relationship shaped by patriarchal structure, but resistance is possible through agency
Interactionism (George Herbert Mead, Herbert Blumer)
Core Idea
- Agency is central → individuals actively create social reality
- Behaviour is shaped through interaction
Application to Structure vs Agency
- Structure
- Less emphasis → seen as flexible and negotiable
- Agency
- Individuals actively interpret and shape their actions
- Social Control
- Maintained through labelling and social interaction
- Conformity
- Occurs when individuals accept shared meanings
- Resistance
- Individuals can reject labels and norms
- Interactionist View
- Society is created through interaction
- Individual shapes society
- Application
- Relationship is one where agency plays a key role in shaping behaviour and social reality
Postmodernism (Jean Baudrillard)
Core Idea
- Structure is weakening → agency is increasing
- Society is fragmented with multiple choices
Application to Structure vs Agency
- Structure
- Traditional structures (family, religion) have less influence
- Agency
- Individuals have greater freedom to choose identities
- Social Control
- Less centralised, more subtle (media influence)
- Conformity
- Less pressure to conform to a single set of norms
- Resistance
- Easier due to diversity and choice
- Postmodern View
- Balance shifts towards agency
- Application
- Relationship is fluid, with increased individual choice and reduced structural control
Key Structuralist vs Interactionist Contrast
- Structuralist (Functionalism, Marxism, Feminism)
- Society shapes individual behaviour
- Structure is dominant
- Social control maintains order
- Interactionist
- Individuals shape society through interaction
- Agency is dominant
- Social reality is negotiated
Key Synoptic Application
- Functionalists → structure ensures conformity and stability
- Marxists → structure enforces inequality but allows resistance
- Feminists → structure (patriarchy) shapes behaviour with some resistance
- Interactionists → agency shapes behaviour through interaction
- Postmodernists → shift towards agency and individual choice