The Importance Of Social Control In Society

Social control is “the process of ensuring individuals engage in “right conduct” (Lippman, 2015, p.22). In smaller and less complex societies, social control is caused by pressures from friends and acquaintances. If certain persons of the society do something that is not considered “normal” they could easily be excluded. In more complex societies, social pressures are key because there are more institutions like work, school, home etc. Each institution has their own criteria for social control. (Lippman, 2015, p.23). Once individuals started socialization, one part of the process was to develop rules for the social group and figuring out what is considered as appropriate and expected for certain situations. Throughout the process, we know that is best to conform to the norms in society. Whenever a social problem arises, the most common solution is to pass
Social control ranges from very informal to highly formalized. Informal control and formal control are the two types. Social control is considered more informal if there are no written rules and without the specification of rewards and penalties. Informal control involves the social interaction in society, like social norms. Social control is considered more formal, if it is impersonal with written rules and legal rewards and punishments. Formal control has a role of keeping society in order. Both types of social control are considered influential because they control individuals in society (Palmer & Humprey, 1990, p. 88). Informal social control is in place so individuals are praised "for complying but could be condemned if they do not comply" (Watts & Roberson, 2014, p.140). Unlike formal control, there are no official people to "administer" the informal controls.
Since informal control is usually from friends and family, it is more likely to be affected in closer and smaller communities instead of much more complex societies like Los