The different pace of the educational system in different societies depends on changing social mores, level of development and social needs. Thus, in ancient Indian society, the emphasis was on religious scriptures, philosophy and metaphysics.  However, with the ushering in of the Industrial Revolution, the focus shifted as social development has resulted in an increased demand for knowledge in other creative areas and managerial skills. At schools, the ideas of democracy, secularism, equality and national goals are communicated to students in addition to the emphasis on our shared history, culture, heritage, norms and values.

(c) State: State has a vital role in administering social control. Sociologists have defined the State as “an association designed primarily to maintain order and security, exercising universal jurisdiction within territorial boundaries, by means of law backed by force and recognized as having sovereign authority”.

State functions through the government. Modern nation-states strive to be welfare states, i.e. they seek to provide to the citizens a wide range of social services like education, medical care, old age pension and unemployment allowance. These are achieved by means of the cooperation of individuals and through collective efforts of the media, civil society and other social institutions. For example, the pulse polio programmes of the government are extensively supported by the use of television, posters, civil society organizations, educational institutions, and so on, all of which try to educate the public on the advantages of the government measures. In a context such as this, the State acts as an informal agency of social control.

However, certain functions such as maintenance of law and order, defence, international relations, currency, etc. require the State to intervene in a formal and sometimes coercive manner.

India has a federal polity and government manifests itself at various levels, viz. village, block, district, state as well as at the national level. At all these levels, its functionaries can enforce rules and laws. In modern societies, State has become increasingly important as an agent of social control.

Agencies of Social Control

Broadly, there are three agencies of social control, viz.

1. Family
2. Neighbourhood
3. Public opinion

1. Family: Family is one of the most important agencies of social control. Every child learns from her / his immediate environment, which is first provided by the family. Etiquettes, habits and attitudes are first learnt from the immediate role models (e.g. parents, siblings, kin groups, etc.). The family socializes the child into the norms, values, traditions and customs of the group. Thus, family has predominant role in the shaping of the personality of the child.

In villages, an individual gets her / his status from her / his family. The elders have a dominant role in the shaping of the personality of the child. This is manifested in the individual’s attitudes, interests, lifestyles, etc. Marriages are mostly arranged by the elders and seen as an alliance between families rather than two individuals.