Sociological Analysis of Construction Trade

Influence of social control mechanisms

Social control mechanisms are part of the social blueprint of society. There are both positive and negative mechanisms, positive being acceptance and rewards, and negative being punishments or rejection. We see there mechanisms everyday in almost every aspect of culture. I chose to define how these mechanisms work in my work place of a construction site.

The basic norms of a laborer are to work hard and get your job done at a reasonable amount of time, not to complain of how strenuous or hard a task might be. Examples of informal acceptance are brash and obscene jokes told to you by other co-workers. While being the brunt of a crude joke perhaps may not be the most flattering thing that has ever happen to you, it is a way of being accepted as part of the group. The jokes made between you and the rest of the crew is essential to acceptance. If I were to not be the best at my job the only communication I would have would be ridicule reflecting my sub par work. When no one talks to you, or makes the occasional joke there is a feeling of being ostracized. You are not considered an equal worker because you may be slow at what you are doing, or have to do the task numerous times to get the desired result.

There are also formal mechanisms that influence my job. If I work hard and let others see it, that I try my hardest and show some understanding of what is going on, on my monthly report it will say that I have done all that was asked and then some. When my boss sees that he will consider a raise, or at very least praise the hard work I have done. Formal positive mechanisms of my job would be a pay raise, or more responsibility of what I do, and the ultimate reward would be a promotion in my job title that would entitle also a substantial pay raise. If on my monthly report it shows that I have consistently been late, seen just walking around, and not fulfilling the tasks assigned for that day there will be formal negative results. Examples would be a written warning of lack of work ethic, perhaps a decrease in pay, and the ultimate of termination from that job.

There are also norms that exist in construction that have influenced me to conform to the typical worker. An example of a sub cultural norm in construction is that of gay jokes. While I have not internalized the belief that making those jokes is acceptable, I often go along with