Social control
Social control comprises formal and informal processes through which groups and institutions encourage conformity to norms and regulate behavior.
Social norms: Shared expectations that guide and evaluate behavior within a group. Norms define the conduct that social control encourages or enforces.
Criminal justice system: Institutions and procedures for enforcing criminal law and responding to crime. It is a formal system for investigating, judging, and sanctioning prohibited conduct.
Formal social control: Control enforced through official rules and designated authorities. This is the institutional, codified side of social control.
Émile Durkheim: A French sociologist who analyzed social facts, solidarity, and the conditions of social order. His account of collective norms explains how society constrains individual conduct.
Conformity: The adjustment of behavior or beliefs to align with group expectations. Conformity is one central outcome that social control seeks to produce.
Social sanctions: Rewards or penalties used to encourage conformity to social expectations. Sanctions are the direct rewards and penalties through which control operates.
Policing: The organized practice of maintaining public order and enforcing laws. Police exercise state authority over conduct in public and other regulated settings.
Informal social control: Influence over behavior through everyday relationships, expectations, and reactions. This is the unwritten, interpersonal side of social control.
Michel Foucault: A French philosopher and historian who studied power, knowledge, and disciplinary institutions. His analysis shows how surveillance and normalization can regulate behavior without constant force.
Social stratification: The structured ranking of groups that shapes access to resources and opportunities. Rules and enforcement can preserve unequal arrangements or distribute burdens unevenly.