The Meaning of Social Control

      I finished reading the article by Peter Berger "The Meaning of Social Control" and have experienced some form of social control myself. My friend had dated a girl and they had broken up. She asked me to escort her to her prom. We had been friends also since grade school. Soon I realized that my guy friends had started to isolated me from other friends in the group making it very hard to get in contact with anyone within our group. I felt like I was isolated and ridiculed by my best friend as well as other friends within our social circle. I believe one of my friend felt a personal loyalty as the man who dated her still was hurt. I saw it as a date with a mutual friend. They tried to pressure me into not going. It was a misunderstanding. It has resolved itself and we are all friends today but I had a make new friends in the process. Peer pressure and feeling of disapproval were upsetting what had always been a strong sense of brotherhood. I had mutual respect for my friends feeling and our trust has been restored but there was feeling they were exhibiting social control.

     There are many forms of social control exhibited in school as well. Groups of students choose who to be friends with and there are people who act as the leader. They may try to exclude someone from their group. Gossip, rumors, and assumption about a person play out everyday in grade schools, high school, and on the playground. By the time you go to college, most people have more confidence and independance and do not feel as much pressure to fit in. We all want to fit into a social setting and it is important to all people to feel accepted.

     Social control take place in government with our police department. Laws are in place and enforced by this agency to keep peace within our society. Most people automatically respect the authority of our police department. Violence is the ultimate social control but our society shuns acts of violence and criminals are put in jail.

     In the work place there is "office politics" about who get a raise or promotion. Social control take place every day in our society. Social acceptance and control create a structure for which our society functions.