One Flew over Cuckoos Nest

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

Social control theory focuses on techniques and strategies that regulate human behavior and lead to conformity, or obedience to society’s rules-the influences of family and school, religious beliefs, moral values, friends, and even beliefs about government. The more involved and committed a person is to conventional activities and values and the greater the attachment to parents, loved ones, and friends, the less likely that person is to violate society’s rules and to jeopardize relationships and aspirations.

The nurse used a sort of power over her patients using her words as a method of control. Since she was also the head nurse of the facility she basically had total control over the patient's basic needs like medications, food and toiletries. Patients quickly learned that if they did not do as Rachted demanded, their medications, food, or other privileges would be taken away from them. Mcmurphy was transferred to the institution from a prison after he acted like he was mad to not do prison work. There was nothing wrong with Mcmurphy so he would do anything just to have a good time such as playing basketball and gambling with a card game. As Mcmurphy got the others to bet there cigarettes, nurse Rachted started to take the cigarettes from of them. Billy Bibbit was terrified of her that he did anything she wanted because he feared the nurse. Nurse Rachted seemed to be all about order and control over the patients and workers in the institution. Nurse Rachted has not only been controlling others lives but abusing her authority as a professional and seems to want everything her way.

Another example of social control was how she got Billy to be tell her about everything that happened the night before they had there “party”. The nurse threatened him to complain about him to his mother if he didn’t do so. At the beginning of the movie when Mcmurphy asked Rachted if it was possible about changing the schedule to be able to...