📜 Formal social control
Written rules, laws and regulations, enforced by official bodies. There are set penalties for breaking the rules. Example: a law against theft, backed by a court.
Social Control » Social Control and Sanctions: Consensus and Conflict Views
What you'll learn this session
Study time: 30 minutes
Cambridge spec: 2.2.1, 2.2.2
- What social control is, and the difference between formal and informal social control
- What positive and negative sanctions are, and how well they produce conformity
- How functionalists, Marxists and feminists see social control
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Unlock This CourseWhy do most people follow the rules?
Nobody's forcing this queue - shared norms and social control keep most of us following the rules
Think about a normal school day. Most students arrive on time, wait their turn and keep to the rules, even when no teacher is watching. Why? Socialisation teaches us the norms of our society, but something else is also at work. Society has ways of making sure people actually follow those norms. This is called social control.
Key terms:
- Social control: the ways society encourages or forces people to follow its norms and rules.
- Conformity: following the norms and rules of society or of a group.
- Sanction: a reward or a punishment used to encourage conformity.
Formal and informal social control
Social control comes in two types. The difference is whether the rules are written down and enforced by an official organisation.
💬 Informal social control
Unwritten rules, enforced by everyday approval or disapproval from people around us. There are no official penalties. Example: friends laughing at someone who always arrives late.
Key terms:
- Formal social control: social control based on written rules and laws that are enforced by official organisations.
- Informal social control: social control based on unwritten rules, enforced by the approval or disapproval of other people in everyday life.
The two types often overlap. For example, a student may avoid cheating in an exam because of a written school rule (formal) and also because they would feel ashamed in front of their family (informal). The next two lessons look at the agencies of each type in more detail.
Positive and negative sanctions
A certificate on stage is a positive sanction: a reward that encourages people to keep following the norms
Both types of control use sanctions. A sanction is a response to behaviour that tells people whether they are doing the right thing.
🏆 Positive sanctions
Rewards for conforming. They encourage people to keep following the norms. Examples: praise from a parent, a certificate for good attendance, or a promotion at work.
⚠️ Negative sanctions
Punishments for breaking norms. They aim to stop the behaviour. Examples: a frown or being ignored by friends, a detention, a fine or a prison sentence.
Key terms:
- Positive sanction: a reward given for conforming to norms.
- Negative sanction: a punishment given for breaking norms.
A sanction can be formal or informal. A medal given by a government is a formal positive sanction. A friend saying "well done" is an informal positive sanction. A court fine is a formal negative sanction. Being laughed at is an informal negative sanction.
How effective are they?
Sociologists ask whether social control really produces conformity. The answer is "often, but not always".
✅ Why they work
People want rewards and approval, and they want to avoid punishment and embarrassment. Informal control is always present, because we spend our lives among family, friends and workmates. Formal control is backed by the power of the state and clear penalties.
❌ Why they sometimes fail
Nobody can watch everyone all the time, so some rule-breakers are never caught. A penalty may not worry someone who does not care about it. Some groups have their own values and ignore the wider society's sanctions.
Many sociologists argue that informal control is the more powerful of the two. We follow norms because we have taken them on as our own, so we control ourselves. Formal control is mainly needed for people who ignore informal pressure and for serious rule-breaking. "Effective" is a judgement, so always give a reason, such as "because people care about what their friends think".
The debate: consensus or conflict?
You met consensus and conflict approaches in the last lesson. They also disagree about social control. Is it a fair system that protects everyone, or a way for powerful groups to keep their power?
The functionalist view
As a consensus view, functionalism sees social control as necessary and helpful. Because people share the same norms and values, social control keeps order and stops society breaking down. Rewards encourage the behaviour society needs. Punishments show what is unacceptable. Durkheim argued that punishing rule-breakers reminds everyone of the shared values, which strengthens social cohesion.
Strength: it explains why order and cooperation exist in most societies. Limitation: it assumes the rules are fair and benefit everyone. It does not ask who made the rules or whether they treat all groups equally.
The Marxist view
As a conflict view, Marxism sees social control as a tool of the ruling class, the bourgeoisie. Laws and formal agencies mainly protect the interests of the wealthy, such as private property, and keep the working class (the proletariat) under control. Marxists also say informal control works through ideology. People are taught that the system is fair, so they accept it instead of challenging it.
Strength: it highlights who has the power to make and enforce rules, and why the rich and powerful may be treated differently from the poor. Limitation: many laws protect everyone, such as laws against violence, not just the rich. It may also overstate how much the working class is simply controlled.
The feminist view
Feminists see social control as a way of keeping patriarchy in place. They argue that women are controlled more tightly than men, especially by informal control. Girls and women may be expected to behave "properly", dress modestly or stay close to home, and face disapproval if they do not. Heidensohn argued that women are controlled more than men at home, in public and at work, and that this is one reason women commit less crime. Feminists also say that laws and formal agencies have often been made by men and have sometimes not protected women well.
Strength: it shows that social control can differ by gender, and that informal pressure is powerful. Limitation: it focuses on gender and may overlook class and ethnicity. In many societies women now have much more freedom than before.
Comparing the three views
Functionalism
Control is needed and fair. It keeps order and protects everyone.
Marxism
Control serves the ruling class and keeps the working class in its place.
Feminism
Control keeps women in a lower position and supports male power.
Common mistakes
1. Saying that social control only means the police. It includes everyday approval and disapproval too. 2. Thinking a sanction is always a punishment. Rewards are positive sanctions. 3. Mixing up "formal" with "serious". Formal means written and official, and a detention is formal even though it is not serious. 4. Describing a perspective but never saying whether it is a strength or a limitation when the question asks you to evaluate.
Exam-style question
(a) Define the term informal social control. [2]
(b) Give two examples of negative sanctions. [2]
(c) Explain three reasons why informal social control may be more effective than formal social control. [6]
Model answer
(a) Informal social control is the use of unwritten rules (1) which are enforced by the approval or disapproval of other people in everyday life (1).
(b) A fine from a court (1). Being ignored or laughed at by friends (1).
(c) First, informal control is always present, because we are surrounded by family and friends in daily life (1), whereas formal agencies cannot watch everyone all the time (1). Second, people care about the approval of those close to them (1), so they conform to avoid shame or to gain praise (1). Third, informal control starts in childhood, so people take on the norms as their own and control themselves (1), which means they follow the rules even when no one is watching (1).
Exam tip
In a "three reasons" question, make each reason separate and add a "because" or "so" after it. One reason with a long explanation still only earns the marks for one reason.