There are two categories of social control - formal and informal. Formal social control involves established laws and institutions like the police, courts, and prisons that enforce rules through punishments. Informal social control consists of unwritten social norms enforced through socialization by agents like family, teachers, and peer groups using positive and negative sanctions like praise, acceptance, and disapproval. Social control, whether formal or informal, works to ensure members of a society adhere to its shared norms, values, and laws.

1. Social control
LO: To explain the different forms
of social control

2. What is meant by social control?
‘mechanisms or processes that exert
pressure to make sure you stick to the
laws, rules and norms of a society’.
Can you think of any agents of social
control?

3. Two categories of social control- formal and informal
social control
Formal social control
Informal social control
The main agency of formal social Unwritten rules apply.
control is the criminal justice
system which involves the
legislature and judiciary. Formal Examples- Teachers, family, peer
rules/laws apply. groups
Examples- Police, Courts, Prisons,
Probation officers, Social workers,
Teachers...
*Summarise formal and informal social control in your books

4. Why is it important that people abide
by the norms, values, rules and laws
of society?
1. Negative sanctions- custody,
disapproval, detention
2. Positive sanctions- praise, reward,
acceptance
Watch clip of Bruce Forsyth receiving knighthood.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-qVZ6mY6lc
*Writeexamples of positive and negative sanctions in
your books.

5. *Give three examples of both positive and negative sanctions that
could be given from the family, school, peer group and workplace.
Positive sanction Negative sanction
Family
School
Peer
group
Work

6. Check point
Discuss in pairs, then write your thoughts in
your book.
How can the school exert both
informal and formal social control?

7. Think: What is the link
between socialisation and
social control?

8. On page 23, complete question 2 and 3

9. One thing you
have not
understood
Two things you would like
to know more about.
Three thing you have learnt about
socialisation and social control