1.2 Social control, conformity and resistance

2026 Syllabus Objectives

  1. 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.
  2. Factors explaining why individuals conform to social expectations, including sanctions, social pressure, self-interest and social exchange.
  3. The mechanisms through which order is maintained, including power, ideology, force and consensus.
  4. How sociologists explain deviance and non-conformity, including subcultures, under-socialisation, marginalisation, cultural deprivation and social resistance.

Structure and Agency: The Sociological Debate 🏛️

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The fundamental question in sociology concerns how the individual relates to society. Two broad perspectives offer contrasting explanations:

🔑 Structuralist Perspectives (Macrosociological)

Structuralist approaches argue that society is organized at the level of institutions (families, governments, economies) and this structural organization determines how individuals view their world and behave within it.

Key characteristics:

  • Focus on macrosociological analysis (large-scale social systems and populations)
  • Emphasize structural determinism – society shapes individual thought and behavior
  • Society viewed as a powerful force that controls people
  • Individuals are products of social structures beyond their control

Structural determinism: The theory that the way society is organized determines how individuals view their world and behave within it.

Main structuralist theories:

  • Functionalism (consensus structuralism)
  • Marxism (conflict structuralism)
  • Feminism (patriarchal structuralism)

🔑 Interactionist Perspectives (Microsociological)

Interactionist approaches focus on the microsociological level – how individuals shape the social world through their interactions and choices.

Key characteristics:

  • People have agency (capacity to act independently and make free choices)
  • Social order is created "from the bottom up" through daily routines
  • Society exists mentally rather than as a physical force
  • Individuals actively create and negotiate social reality

Agency: The capacity of individuals to act independently and make their own free choices.

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