Social Control Essay

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Social Control According to the text, social control is the “attempts by society to regulate people’s thoughts and behavior.” Any person, whose behavior or thought does not conform to the society’s norm, is considered deviant. Each and every one us experiences social control in our everyday lives. There are two major types of social control: informal and formal, which are the rules, standards, regulations and laws that are in and out of our homes. Informal social control typically begins in the home, preparing us to conform to formal social control outside of the home. From the day that we are born, we begin to experience our first informal controls. A new mother follows directions from nurses, family and friends of when and how to care for her newborn. So we are set on feeding, sleeping and changing schedules according to our parents. As we grow older, these simple life standards grow more complex. Our parents tell us with who, when, and what to play with and what is or is not appropriate behavior when and where. If a child acts out, such as throwing a tantrum in the middle of the mall, he will usually be reprimanded with a scolding or spanking, therefore showing him it is not appropriate to behave in such a way in public. The child would be punished for deviating away from the norm, giving him a consequence for his action. Informal controls are the reactions of our family, friends and peers, to our thoughts and behaviors. These reactions, whether positive or negative, lead us to make decisions that are more conformed to those in our environment, show us right from wrong, give us a standard to live by. Formal social controls are the rules, regulations and laws that are set and enforced by the criminal justice system. Laws are set in place so that as a whole, the society has structure. When a man drives his vehicle away from his home, he is conforming

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