Formal & Informal Social Control (WJEC Eduqas GCSE Sociology): Revision Note
Exam code: C200
Social control
Social control refers to how people’s behaviour is regulated to encourage conformity and discourage deviance
It ensures that most people follow society’s norms, rules, and laws
Social control is achieved through the use of sanctions (rewards and punishments)
Positive sanctions: praise, promotion, awards, and gifts
Negative sanctions: fines, imprisonment, exclusion, criticism
There are two main types of social control:
Formal social control – through official agencies like the police and courts
Informal social control – through social pressure from family, peers, and communities
Most daily life is managed through informal social control
Formal methods of social control
Formal social control is based on written laws and regulations enforced by the state
It involves institutions and agencies that have the power to enforce rules and punish those who break them
Agency of formal social control | How they enforce social control |
|---|---|
The Houses of Parliament (the legislature) | Their job is to legislate, i.e., create the laws that govern our behaviour. |
The police | Their role is to maintain order, enforce the law, investigate crime and apprehend offenders. |
The judiciary (Judges and Magistrates) | Their role is to interpret the law, conduct trials and sentence (fine or imprisonment) those found guilty of a crime. |
Magistrates' Courts | They deal with minor criminal (non-indictable) offences such as assaults and thefts. |
Crown Courts | This court deals with serious (indictable) offences such as murder or terrorism. Juries decide guilt, and judges issue sentences. |
The Court of Appeal | Review cases where there may have been a miscarriage of justice and overturn convictions. |
The prison service | Punish and rehabilitate offenders, deterring them and others from future crime. |
The probation service | Their role is to supervise offenders released from custody and help them reintegrate into the community. |
The role of the police
The police are responsible for enforcing the law and preventing crime through patrols, investigations, and arrests
Functionalists see the police as protecting the public and promoting social order by maintaining safety and deterring deviance
They act as an agency of social control, working with schools and communities to promote shared values
In contrast, Marxists take a conflict view, seeing the police as a tool of the ruling class that enforces laws protecting property and capitalist interests rather than serving all members of society equally
E.g., Karl Mannheim argued that most laws exist to protect the wealthy and powerful
The role of the courts & judiciary
The courts interpret and apply the law to ensure justice and fairness
Functionalists believe they reinforce social order by punishing deviance and reminding people of moral boundaries
The media, acting as an informal agent of control, supports this process by reporting court cases and reinforcing shared values
Marxists argue that the courts favour the rich and powerful, maintaining class inequality
Judges and magistrates interpret laws through their decisions, but most come from privileged, elite backgrounds, which influences their decisions
E.g., in 2014, 75% of senior judges were graduates of Oxford or Cambridge, showing class bias
Informal methods of social control
Informal social control is based on unwritten or implicit rules and processes, such as the approval or disapproval of others
It is enforced by ordinary people and social groups through socialisation, social pressure, and sanctions
This form of control operates in everyday life — in families, schools, peer groups, workplaces, and communities
Agencies of informal social control
The family
The first and most important agency of informal control
Parents use sanctions (praise, grounding, and confiscation) to teach children right from wrong
This process helps children internalise social norms
Religion
Encourages people to live moral lives through ideas of sin, guilt, and reward in the afterlife
Functionalists see religion as binding people together; Marxists view it as a way of controlling the working class
The Media
Shapes attitudes and behaviour through news, advertising, and entertainment
Promotes social conformity by warning of the consequences of deviance, e.g., drink-driving campaigns
Peer Groups
Peer pressure encourages people to follow the norms of their social group
Can be positive (working hard at school) or negative (encouraging deviant acts)
Local Communities
Neighbourhoods can reinforce social control through the threat of gossip or exclusion
Close-knit communities tend to have lower levels of anti-social behaviour
Education
The hidden curriculum teaches obedience, punctuality, and respect for authority
School rules and reward systems prepare students for work and wider society
Effectiveness of social control
Formal social control
Effective because it has coercive power (e.g., imprisonment)
However, it can be unequal:
Working-class and ethnic minority groups often face harsher treatment, leading to mistrust of the police among communities
Prisons may fail to rehabilitate — high reoffending rates show limited success
Informal social control
Often more effective because it operates through internalised values and everyday interactions
However, it can fail when families or communities hold deviant values (e.g., underage drinking, anti-school attitudes)
Gender and social control
Functionalists argue that informal control benefits society by maintaining order
Feminists disagree, arguing that it benefits the patriarchy by keeping women under control
Women may feel social pressure to conform to expectations of femininity and be judged more harshly for deviant behaviour
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