Our sense of fairness depends on the influences in our culture. The immediate situation we are in, and our own self-interest. Arriving at a feeling of fairness means considering different, often conflicting, points of view. Regardless of the disagreement people almost always need to compromise. But it can be difficult to arrive at a compromise when there are conflicting interests.This is why communities have rules that everyone must follow. Social controls are an important factor in setting and following rules. They influence the way we behave, and can be internal or external. Internal controls come from within and are based on our calues and fears. Most of us don’t steal, for example, because we believe that theft is unfair and wrong. We also don’t want to disappoint our family and friends. In other words, our internal controls keep us from behaving in ways that cause conflict.