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passenger to the bus driver, a brother or sister to your sibling and a patient to the
doctor.

Individuals also acquires different status at various stages of life. This is called a status
sequence for it refers to the status, which is attained in succession or sequence at
various stages of life. For example, a son becomes a father, a grandfather, and then
great grandfather and so on.

STATUS AND PRESTIGE
Status and prestige are interconnected terms. Every status is accorded certain rights and
values. Values are attached to the social position, rather than to the person who
occupies it or to his/her performance or to his/her actions. The kind of value attached to
the status or to the office is called prestige.

ROLE AND ROLE PLAYING
A role is the dynamic or the behavioural aspect of status. People perform their roles
according to social expectations associated with the status that he/she occupies. This is
referred to as role taking or role playing. Thus, roles are played in accordance with the
status. For example, a child learns to behave in accordance with how her behaviour will
be seen and judged by others.

ROLE CONFLICT
When there is incompatibility among roles corresponding to multiple statuses, it is
referred to as role conflict. It occurs when contrary expectations arise from two or more
roles to be performed.

SOCIAL CONTROL
Social control refers to the various means used by a society to bring its recalcitrant or
unruly members back into line. It is the social process, techniques and strategies by
which the behaviours of individuals or a group are regulated.

It can be the use of force to regulate the behaviour of the individuals or enforcement of
values in the individual to maintain order in society.

MEANS OF SOCIAL CONTROL
Social control may be informal or formal.

FORMAL MEANS

When the codified, systematic and other formal mechanism of control is used, it is
known as formal social control. There are agencies and mechanism of formal social