Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 6.djvu/253

 SOCIAL CONTROL 239

society has its own point of view and consequently its own way of envisaging the problems of conduct. Now one of these views can prevail only in case the others are withdrawn. And this means that a class finds itself leading the march at the head of the social procession only because the other classes have more confidence in it than they have in themselves. Social power is concentrated or diffused in proportion as men do or do not feel them- selves in need of guidance or protection? When it is concentrated it lodges in that class of men in which the people feel the most confidence. The many transfer their allegiance from one class to another from elders to priests, or from priests to savants when their supreme need changes, or when they have lost con- fidence in the old guidance. When they begin to feel secure and able to cope with evils in their own strength and wisdom, the many resume direction of themselves, and the monopoly of social power by the few ceases.

Such is the underlying law of the transformation and dis- placement of power. The immediate cause of the location of power is prestige. The class that has the most prestige will have the most power. The prestige of numbers gives ascendency to the crowd. The prestige of age gives it to the elders. The prestige of prowess gives it to the war chief or to the military caste. The prestige of sanctity gives it to the priestly caste. The prestige of inspiration gives it to the prophet. The prestige of place gives it to the official class. The prestige of money gives it to the capitalists. The prestige of ideas gives it to the elite. The prestige of learning gives it to the mandarins. The absence of prestige and the faith of each man in himself give weight to the individual and reduce social control to a minimum.

In some cases there exists an appropriate name for the regime. When the priest guides, we call it clericalism. When the fight- ing caste is deferred to, we call it militarism. When the initiative lies with the minions of the state, we call it officialism. The leadership of the moneyed men is capitalism. That of the men of ideas is liberalism. The reliance of men upon their wisdom and strength is individualism.

1 See G. TARDE, Les transformations du pouvoir, chap. iii.