The Logic of Social Control (Neurological Disease and Therapy)

Chapters 6 through 9 consider the form of social control. Form refers to the mechanisms people use to respond to deviance. People with grievances have a range of options: to do nothing; use self-help to obtain redress; negotiate a solution with the offender; or seek adjudicated solutions. I consider the conditions under which people use these various forms of social control. 

The third emphasis in this book is the effectiveness of social control. Effectiveness refers to the extent to which social control efforts achieve the goals of controllers. The same dimensions of social space that predict the styles and forms of social control also shape how effective control efforts will be. 

In the concluding chapter, I examine some recent developments in social control. Societies marked by fragmented, atomized, and noncohesive relationships face fundamental dilemmas in exerting effective social control. I consider some basic changes in modern social structures and speculate on what their impact on social control systems will be.