I. The Role of family in social control:
(a) The family socialises the child into the norms, values, traditions and customs of the group. Thus, family has a predominant role in shaping the personality of the child.
In villages, an individual gets his status from his family. The elders have a dominant role in shaping the personality of the individual. This is manifested in the individual attitudes, interests and lifestyle, etc. Marriages are mostly arranged by the elders and seen as an alliance between families rather than between two individuals.
(b) In cities the family continues to play a predominant role in shaping an individual's personality. However, industrialisation, limited income and the paucity of space have contributed to the prevalence of nuclear families. This is very different from what is encountered in villages.
Hence, families tend to focus upon themselves. This results in an increased accent on individualism as opposed to collectivism common in villages.
(c) The function of socialization that a family carries out is complemented by other secondary institutions such as the classroom, playground, peer group and the media. Unlike in a rural surrounding, the individual derives his social status partly from his family but more importantly from his personal achievements.
(d) Parents and elders still largely arrange marriages in cities. However, the consent of the boy and the girl is sought. Marriages outside caste and religion are also on increase. Thus, we see that individual choice is becoming increasingly important.
(e) However, due to the absence of strong family support on both sides, individual disagreements are more likely to lead to separation and divorce as opposed to the rural setting where the family network provides a readily available conflict resolution mechanism.
II. Role of Neighbourhood in Social Control:
(a) Neighbourhood in villages comprises people normally belonging to the same kin group or caste. Hence, relationships that exist are intimate and informal. Beyond the immediate neighbourhood, the bonds are strong, as is evident from the fact that the son-in-law of a family is regarded as the son-in-law of a much larger group, sometimes of the entire village.
(b) In contrast, relationships between neighbours in the urban environment are characterised formally. They are marked by intermittent interactions and hence are far weaker than what is seen in the rural environment. In big cities, the ties of neighbourhoods are almost relegated to the backseat. There is hardly any interaction between neighbours.
(c) Thus, the village neighbourhood is an enthusiastic participant in many daily activities of a family. It thereby fulfills its role as a medium of social control. It ensures uniformity and conformity and corrects deviant behaviour. For instance, in a village neighbours would subject a son not looking after his aging parents to sharp disapproval and even sarcasm.
(d) In cities, while not controlling individual behaviour so closely, individual actions that affect community are monitored by the neighbours, e.g. a person throwing trash in the open would be pulled up by his neighbours for spoiling the ambience of the neighbourhood.
