Social Welfare: Context for Social Control

Authors

Phyllis J. Day, Purdue University

Abstract

Because human service professionals are uncritical concerning the latent functions of their organizations they may be unaware of their power as agents for social control. The paper discusses values, attitudes, and education supportive of such control, the permeation of social programs into heretofore private areas of human life, the power inherent in new techniques of social persuasion, and the centralization of that power because of expanded government funding and accountability requirements. As public assistance programs contain civil disorder among the poor, so other social welfare programs insure conformity and control the alienated of all levels of society.

Recommended Citation

Day, Phyllis J. (1981) "Social Welfare: Context for Social Control," The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 8: Iss. 1, Article 5.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15453/0191-5096.1440
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol8/iss1/5