Generally, informal social control is used to control behavior that violates informal norms, and
formal social control
is used to control behavior that violates formal norms.
- Direct and Indirect Control. …
- Positive and Negative Means. …
- Social Control through Force and Symbol. …
- Conscious and Unconscious Control. …
- Formal and Informal Control. …
- Control by Constructive and Exploitative Means. …
- Real and Artificial Control.
Social control refers to societal and political mechanisms that regulate individual and group behaviour in an attempt to gain conformity and compliance to the rules of a given society, state, or social group. Sociologists identify two basic forms of social control –
informal control and formal control
.
Consequently, all human groups develop a system of social control, which involves formal and informal means of enforcing norms. Those
who violate these norms face the danger of being labeled “deviant
.” Violators can expect to experience negative sanctions for the violation of norms.
Émile Durkheim believed that deviance is a necessary part of a successful society and that it serves three functions: 1) it clarifies norms and increases conformity, 2)
it strengthens social bonds among the people reacting to the deviant
, and 3) it can help lead to positive social change and challenges to people’s …
Nye focused on the family unit as a source of control and specified three types of control:
(1) direct control, or the use of punishments
and rewards to incentivize particular behaviors; (2) indirect control, or the affectionate identification with individuals who adhere to social norms; and (3) internal control, or …
- (a) Direct social control:
- (b) Indirect social control:
- (a) Organised social control:
- (b) Unorganised social control:
- (c) Spontaneous social control:
- (d) More spontaneous social control:
- (a) Positive social control:
- (b) Negative social control:
Social control is the study of the mechanisms, in the form of patterns of pressure, through which society maintains social order and cohesion. … Social control is typically employed by
group members in response to anyone it considers deviant, problematic, threatening, or undesirable
, with the goal of ensuring conformity.
Examples of Social Control Theory
Social control theory is based upon typical, everyday activities. For instance, think
about your daily routine of getting up in the morning and going to work every day
. This is an example of an action that is done in accordance with internal social control, or self-control.
Social control in general has been found to have
positive effects on health behavior
while being negatively related to well-being. … It is positive rather than negative control that seem to have the intended effects on behavior without resulting in emotional costs.
People expressing negative deviance either reject the norms, misinterpret the norms, or are unaware of the norms.
Positive deviance involves overconformity to norms
. Positive deviants idealize group norms. … Reactions to deviants are usually negative and involve attempts to change or control the deviant behavior.
- Broken Family and Improper Socialization. Family is the first institution teaching norms of social life. …
- Lack of Religious Education and Morality. …
- Rejection by Neighborhood. …
- Lack of Basic Facilities. …
- Parentless Child. …
- Mass Media. …
- Urban Slums.
How can we prevent deviance?
The most effective possible
social control system
would be one that prevents deviance from arising at all. It could prevent deviant acts from occurring in the first place (primary prevention) or, if they have occurred in the past, prevent their reoccurrence (secondary prevention).
Terms in this set (5)
Deviance affirms cultural values and norms
. Responding to deviance clarifies moral boundaries. Responding to deviance promotes social unity. Deviance encourages social change.
What is the function of deviance?
Deviance provides
the key to understanding the disruption and recalibration of society that occurs over time
. Systems of deviance create norms and tell members of a given society how to behave by laying out patterns of acceptable and unacceptable behavior.
What is an example of deviance?
Deviant behavior may violate formally-enacted rules or informal social norms. … Examples of formal deviance include
robbery, theft, rape, murder, and assault
. Informal deviance refers to violations of informal social norms, which are norms that have not been codified into law.
