Social control can be considered as an important aspect of the socialization process of an individual. There are some universal norms or rules that must be followed by members of all societies. Any deviation from these norms can result in a minimum level of punishment to guarantee social order. It refers to the processes of regulating the behavior of an individual or group in a society, which encourages conformity and obedience. It may include social or political mechanisms. Its two forms are formal and informal checks.
Formal Social Control:
Formal social control is implemented by authorized agents, including police, employers, the military, and others. It is carried out as a last option in some places when the desired behavior is not possible through informal social control. The situations and severity in which formal control is practiced vary from country to country.
This is practiced through law such as statutes, rules and regulations against deviant social behavior. For example, certain laws such as the prohibition of murder may be directed at all members of a society. Fishing and hunting regulations are made for certain groups. Corporate laws are established to govern the behavior of social institutions. Formal control is done by the government and organizations through law enforcement mechanisms. It can also be carried out through some formal sanctions including fines and imprisonment. Formal control processes in democratic societies are determined and designed through legislation by elected representatives.
Courts or judges, military officers, police officers, school systems or teachers, and government agencies or bureaucrats impose formal control.
Informal Social Control:
It is exercised by a society without establishing rules or laws. It is expressed through norms and customs. Social control is carried out by informal agents on their own in an unofficial capacity. Traditional societies mostly incorporate a culture of informal social control to establish social order.
Embarrassment, sarcasm, criticism, ridicule and disapproval are some of the informal sanctions. Social discrimination and exclusion are included in informal control in cases of extreme deviation. Self-identity, self-worth, and self-esteem are affected in informal control through loss of group approval or membership. The severity and nature of informal control mechanisms differ across individuals, groups, and societies.
Informal is effective in small group settings, including friends, family, neighbors, work groups, and others. However, in some large and complex societies, informal social control and disapproval are easily ignored. In such situations, it is necessary to follow the formal.
Some of the differences of formal and informal social control are:
•Formal social control includes written statements, formalized and codified in laws, rules and regulations. While informal control does not contain written rules.
•The formal control bodies are those authorized by the government and the informal control bodies are created by networks and social organizations but not by the government.
•Formal control is much more effective and stronger than informal social control. Any situation that cannot be handled by informal control is subject to a formal one.
•Formal control is effective even for large groups of people, but informal control is effective only for a small group of people.
Social control, formal or informal, helps in the regulation of society. The study of social control includes disciplines from sociology, anthropology, psychology, law, and political science.
