User:Jo La Spring 2008

Control Theory and Social Bonds

1. Objective I propose to do a Wikipedia edit to improve the content of existing Wikipedia pages on the control theory. I plan to discuss what the control theory is in detail and give examples to further explain how social bonds contribute to its affect on individuals in society.
2. Interest This is interesting because we all have social bonds but we may not really know and understand how our bonds with people effects what we do in life. This project is relevant to sociology because it discusses deviant behavior. What causes people to be deviant in society and what keeps others from deviating. It will help teach and educate those who do not know how the control theory works and the importance of social bonds.
3. Background reading I will read wikipedia, text book and other basic sociology texts on the following topics: control theory, deviance, social bonds, attachments, investments,involvements and beliefs.
   1. I will also find scholarly research on the general issue of control theory and social bonds.
4. General Plan My General plan is to research my topic and its key terms by using the text, scholarly articles and web searches to understand and get a concept on the material I plan to discuss. Once all my data is collected I will begin making edits to wikipedia providing what I have learned so that others can view and be educated from my research.
5. Collaborators I will be working alone.

Control theory stresses how weak bonds between the individuals and society free people to deviate or go against the norms. Where strong bonds make deviance more costly. Deviant acts appear attractive to individuals but social bonds stop most people from commiting the acts. Deviance is a result from extensive exposure to certain social situations where individuals develop behaviors that attract them to be non conformative with society norms. Social bonds are used in control theory to help individuals from going after these attractive deviations. Social bonds consist of:

1. Attachments- which are ties to other people. How much the person cares about others and how others view them based on the things they do. Having close attachments with individuals and society stop someone from deviating because they care about what others would think of them, they value their relationship and dont want to risk losing it.
2. Investments- what we have spent most of our lives building up, which gives us satisfaction, we expect a certain reward from it. Investments work to keep people from deviating because the more investments one has the less likely they will be deviant. Individuals dont want to risk losing what they have spent time building, while someone with little investments will see that they have nothing to lose so the act is more appealing.
3. Involvements- developing activities that demand time and energy. The more a person spends on activities that conform the norms of society, the less time the individual will have to do deviant acts. Deviance occurs when an individual is not involved in activities and has to much time or their hands, this causes the acts to be more attractive and likely to take place.
4. Beliefs- how an person should act, the norms the person views as what should happen or what seems right. Beliefs come from how the world works and how it should work. We develop beliefs as a guide for norms on how people should act, including ourselves. Beliefs are conformed by are relationships with others because they expect us to do certain things which stops deviation.