Social Laws and Regulation – Behavioral sciences explore the cognitive processes within organisms and the behavioral interactions between organisms in the natural world. It involves the systematic analysis and investigation of human and animal behavior through the study of the past, controlled and naturalistic observation of the present and disciplined scientific experimentation and modeling.
It attempts to accomplish legitimate, objective conclusions through rigorous formulations and observation. Generally, behavior science deals primarily with human action and often seeks to generalize about human behavior as it relates to society.
Social Laws and Regulation
Law is a system of rules that are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior. Laws can be made by a collective legislature or by a single legislator, resulting in statutes, by the executive through decrees and regulations, or by judges through binding precedent, normally in common law jurisdictions. Private individuals can create legally binding contracts, including arbitration agreements that may elect to accept alternative arbitration to the normal court process.
The formation of laws themselves may be influenced by a constitution, written or tacit, and the rights encoded therein. The law shapes politics, economics, history and society in various ways and serves as a mediator of relations between people.
Definition of Law:
According to Glanville Williams
“Law is the cement of society and also an essential medium of change. Knowledge of law increases one’s understanding of public affairs. Its study promotes accuracy of expression, facility in argument and skill in interpreting the written word, as well as some understanding of social values”.
According to Thomas Hobbes
“Law is the formal glue that holds fundamentally disorganized societies together.”
Types of Laws
Criminal laws: Designed to protect society as a whole from wrongful actions (police can take action)
1. Traffic/road laws
- Drink driving
- Speeding
- Illegal use of an aero-plane
- Driving in an unregistered vehicle
- Willful damage of vehicles
- Not wearing a helmet
- Stopping for pedestrians
- Correct indicating
2 . Public order (peaceful and safe community)
- Drug use
- Public decency (sleeping on the streets)
- Carrying of weapons in public
- Dry areas
- Rioting
- Protest marches (staying non-violent)
- Assault
- Defamation (writing things about people that are not true which harm their character)
3. Property
- Arson
- Trespass
- Larceny (theft)
- Littering
- Vandalism
- Intentional damage
4. People
- Passive smoking
- Rape
- Murder
- Harassment
- Suicide
- Sexual abuse
Civil laws: Help to solve problems which occur between individuals or groups (trained legal personnel and courts help solve)
1. Contract law (agreements, responsibilities)
- Not allowed to break a contract
- Marriage
- Fishing licenses
- Misleading advertisements
2. Employment law
- Reason for firing someone
- Fair duties as an employer
- Equal opportunities
- Not to work over 40 hours in any one week (appropriate overtime penalties)
- Wrongful dismissal
- Age discrimination
3. Family law
- Abuse of children
- Catering for kids until they are 18 years old
- Domestic violence
- Custody of children
- Registration of birth
- Maintenance issues
4. Law of Torts
- Compensation (dog biting)
- Accidents involving other animals
- Others injuring themselves on your property
Characteristics of Law:
1. It is a set of rules.
2. It regulates the human conduct
3. It is created and maintained by the state.
4. It has certain amount of stability, fixity and uniformity.
5. It is backed by coercive authority.
6. Its violation leads to punishment.
7. It is the expression of the will of the people and is generally written down to give it definiteness.
8. It is related to the concept of ‘sovereignty’ which is the most important element of state.
Importance of Law in Nursing Practice:
1. Nurses are expected to function within the legislation, legal policies, and statutes relevant to the profession and practice setting, and professional standards. besieiM
2. Nurses must know the rights and obligations of nurses in interactions with patients,
families of patients, other nurses, and other health care practitioners
3. Nurses are now being, and will continue to be given increased responsibility, thereby increasing their exposure to lawsuits.
4. It helps to establish the boundaries of independent nursing action
5. It provides a framework for establishing which nursing actions in the care of clients are legal.
6. Promotes social satisfaction
7. Helps to improve the quality of care
8. Helps to maintain good job satisfaction
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