Social control: informal and formal agencies
Sociology I - Invitation to Sociology · Unit IV · Topic 14 of 16 · 5 min read
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Cases checked to exist. Read the judgment before quoting a holding.
Every case cited here has been checked to exist — the citation resolves and names the right parties. The propositions attributed to each case have not been verified line by line against the judgment. Case names link through to the full judgment: read it before quoting a holding in an examination answer, and never carry a proposition from notes into court on trust.
1. Meaning of social control
Social control is the means by which society secures conformity to its norms and regulates the behaviour of individuals and groups. The term was introduced by the American sociologist E.A. Ross in Social Control (1901).
- E.A. Ross: social control refers to the system of devices whereby society brings its members into conformity with the accepted standards of behaviour.
- MacIver and Page: social control is the way in which the entire social order coheres and maintains itself — how it operates as a whole, as a changing equilibrium.
- Karl Mannheim: social control is the sum of those methods by which a society tries to influence human behaviour to maintain a given order.
2. Need and purpose
- To maintain the social order and prevent chaos.
- To secure conformity and check deviance.
- To bring about social solidarity and unity.
- To preserve the culture and its values.
- To protect the weak and regulate the strong.
- To make orderly social change possible.
3. Types of social control
- Formal and informal — through organised agencies with defined penalties (law, police) or through unorganised group pressure (custom, ridicule, gossip).
- Positive and negative (Kimball Young) — by reward and persuasion, or by punishment and threat.
- Direct and indirect (Mannheim) — by primary groups in face-to-face relations (family, neighbours), or by secondary groups, institutions and traditions.
- Conscious and unconscious (C.H. Cooley).
4. Informal agencies of social control
Informal controls arise spontaneously within the group, rely on internalised values and social pressure, and work best in small, traditional, face-to-face communities.
Folkways
Sumner’s term for the customary, repetitive ways of everyday life — greeting elders, removing footwear at the door, dress at a funeral. They are enforced by mild disapproval or ridicule. Their control is strong because they are followed almost without thought.
Mores
Folkways that the group believes vital to its welfare: honesty, chastity, respect for parents, the prohibition of incest. Their violation provokes moral outrage, ostracism or worse. Sumner said mores “can make anything right” in the eyes of the group. Many mores are later embodied in law.
Customs
Long-established, socially accepted practices passed down through generations. MacIver: customs are socially accredited ways of acting. In traditional India, caste panchayats enforced custom on marriage, food and occupation through fines and excommunication. Custom is an important source of law (Article 13(3)(a) of the Constitution includes custom and usage in “law”). Customs resist change and can preserve harmful practices.
Religion
Religion controls behaviour through belief in supernatural reward and punishment, the ideas of sin, karma and rebirth, heaven and hell, and through ritual, priests and religious courts. It sanctifies the moral code: adultery and theft are both sins and crimes. Durkheim stressed its integrative role; Malinowski its role in relieving anxiety. Religion works from within, through conscience, even where the State cannot see. Its control has weakened with secularisation, education and urban life.
Public opinion
The view of the public on matters of common interest, expressed through the press, television, social media, meetings and elections. The fear of what people will say (log kya kahenge) is a strong check. In a democracy public opinion also controls the government. It can be manipulated through propaganda and misinformation.
Others
Family (the first agency), neighbourhood, morality, beliefs, art and literature, folk heroes, leadership, ridicule and gossip, and praise and recognition.
5. Formal agencies of social control
Formal controls are deliberately created, written down, enforced by specialised agencies and carry definite penalties. They are dominant in large, complex, urban societies where informal control is weak.
Law
The most important formal agency. Law is a body of rules enforced by the State through courts and the police. It is definite, uniform, applies to all and is backed by physical sanction. Functions: defines prohibited conduct, settles disputes, protects rights, and is an instrument of social change. Indian examples: the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 defines crimes; the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955 and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 penalise caste discrimination; the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 targets a custom. Durkheim distinguished repressive law (punishment) from restitutive law (restoration of the original position).
Education
Schools and universities instil discipline, punctuality, respect for authority and civic values, and prepare the young to accept norms. They teach a rational and scientific outlook, which reduces superstition. Durkheim: education is the methodical socialisation of the young. Article 51A(k), inserted in 2002, makes it a fundamental duty of parents and guardians to provide opportunities for education to children between six and fourteen.
Police
The police enforce the law, maintain public order, prevent and investigate crime, and arrest offenders. They are the visible face of State control; their mere presence deters. Criminal procedure is now governed by the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023. Excessive force or corruption undermines their legitimacy and therefore their effectiveness.
Military
The armed forces defend the State against external aggression and are called in aid of civil power during riots, insurgency and disasters. They are the last resort of State coercion. In a democracy the military is under civilian control.
Other formal agencies
The State and government, courts, administrative agencies, prisons, and the rules of organisations (company codes of conduct, university regulations).
| Informal control | Formal control |
|---|---|
| Grows spontaneously | Deliberately created |
| Unwritten | Written and codified |
| Enforced by the group | Enforced by specialised agencies |
| Sanctions: ridicule, ostracism, guilt | Sanctions: fine, imprisonment |
| Strong in primary groups and villages | Strong in secondary groups and cities |
How this is examined
Define with Ross, give the types in brief, then each agency under its own head with an Indian example. If only informal agencies are asked, give folkways, mores, customs, religion and public opinion at length. The 20-mark note on religion as informal control takes the religion paragraph above, expanded with Durkheim and Malinowski.
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