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Refers to the regulation of individual or group behaviours as a method of enforcing
conformity or compliance to societal norms and rules.
It can manifest as the internalisation of such norms and values, or through the use of
positive/negative reinforcements or punishments, to shape desirable behaviour.
Types of Power- Power can be used to facilitate social control and conformity:
1. Expert Power- assigned to a recognised authority based on expertise
2. Reward Power- assigned to a recognised authority who has the ability to reward.
3. Legitimate Power- assigned based on the authority’s level of appropriate behaviour.
4. Coercive Power- ability of authority to coerce and convince certain behaviours.
5. Referent Power- when power is assigned to the authority by the recipient.
Social control can be universal across cultures, though an embracement of social and cultural
differences suggests an absence of social control.
AO3:
It can be very unethical to assess what behaviours are desirable and prescribe or treat
people with the expectation of conformity, eg. Using drug therapy or instutionalisation to
treat MHDs like Anorexia or Schizophrenia, and create “normal” behaviours, supported by
Rosenhan’s study where pseudopatients were all committed due to an abnormal but not
clinical behaviour.
The use of punishments and rewards to manipulate behaviour infringes on autonomy and
can be equally unethical, though in the case of Token Economy Programmes, it is usually
consented to by participants and therefore a more ethical form of social control.
Coercive and Expert Power can be influential on people regardless, and it is unethical to
manipulate this, eg. Milgram’s 1963 study suggests obedience occurs despite moral strain,
and the agentic state is reached due to influence of situational factors and appearance,
which reinforce expert and thus coercive powers.
The embracement of social differences in the DSM/ICD with the inclusion of culture bound
syndromes etc, suggests a move away from the expectation of conformity, and thus a lack of
social control.
BPS protects autonomy with the right to withdraw, thus limiting how far social control is
present in psychology.
Psychology Over Time
AO1:
Psychology is a consistently updating field due to a necessity for accurate research and
clinical application.
It was founded by Wundt, who popularised introspection and self reflection over observation
of behaviour, which has since changed.
Freud founded modern psychology, laying a foundation for therapies like CBT, but psychology
has since moved away from abstract, subjective principles as used in Freudian psychology.
Applications:
, Consistencies Developments
Cognitive The assumption that the brain processes Modern cognitive psychology has made
information like a computer- input informs movements towards cognitive neuroscience. The
outputs- has remained. models of memory have refined to become more
detailed from MSM to WMM to Tulving’s LTM,
and they have been updated in the face of
criticism.
Social Milgram and Burgers findings on obedience The methods for research have updated to be
in situations of moral strain found more generalisable and valid, as well as more
consistent results. ethical. ( Milgram and Sherif, Vs Burger)
The assumption of society’s influence on
individual behaviour has remained.
Biological The assumption that human behaviour is The methods of brain research have developed
due to innate processes in the brain, and from trepanation to case studies of brain
due to genetic nature, has remained damages to brain imaging
consistent. techniques.
The aims to research brain function and The discovery of DNA and the Human Genome
genetic influence on behaviour has Project has developed genetic psychological
remained. research.
Learning The assumption that we are born ‘tabula The holism of each theory has developed from CC
rasa’ or as blank slates, and that our to OC to SLT.
behaviour is learned, remains consistent. The methods have developed from using animal
research to using humans making it more
generalisable.
Child The assumption that human behaviour is The acknowledgement of cultural differences in
influence by attachment and parenting in attachment has developed.
early formative years has remained Research developed in popularity post WW2.
The assumption of the necessity of a female
caregiver has since changed.
Clinical The assumption that abnormal behaviours Classification Systems of MHDs have been
are unhealthy or needing treatment has developed and update frequently.
remained. Treatment has become more universal with the
The use of therapy has remained popularity of drug therapy for certain disorders.
somewhat consistent, bearing resemblance
to Freuds work.
Contribution of Psychological Research:
AO1:
Psychology is the study of human behaviour and can therefore be applied in treating or
changing issues with behaviour.
For unethical research to be undertaken, a prerequisite is that it must make a significant
contribution to society.
Psychology can be used to change social opinions and stigmas towards certain groups or
people.
Applications:
Cognitive: Psychology has applications in assessing the reliability of EWT and supporting the
necessity for objective evidence in courts of law, due to research suggesting the unreliability
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