Examples Of Informal Social Control

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Before one can discuss possible examples of formal and informal social controls that are present in the neighborhood, one must first understand what these key terms actually mean and the effect they can have in general. A formal social control can be executed through the use of an accredited agents (e.g., a police officer, law enforcer, employers, your boss). A formal social control is normally used as last resort in many scenarios/situations when the desired result cannot occur through the use of an informal social control; the way one uses a formal social control and the reasons to use it will vary by country based on their cultures and social events that are occurring at the time of the incident; relating to previous classes, this can be used to prevent issues involving anomie. Normally examples of formal social control include the use of laws or intermediate sanctions. An example of a formal social control would be to place a law stating that an individual cannot steal another person’s mail; if they do steal a person’s mail it can result in at least a fine of $500, with a worst case scenario of time in jail, in order to prevent individuals stealing correspondence from their neighbors. …show more content…
Methods of informal social control can include shaming, reward/consequence system, ridiculing, disapproving of the individual/group, to lower the chances of the situation occurring again. An example of informal social control is smoking marijuana in your cul-de-sac; in many cases, this situation is frowned upon, and, if your parents found out, the individual would be grounded or be seen as a