Sociology 2260A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Social Control, Kai T. Erikson, Informal Social Control
14 Mar 2016
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Document Summary
Social control: methods used by members of a society to maintain order and promote predictability of behavior. Include both negative and positive sanctions b: negative sanctions = penalties for those who violate norms, positive sanctions= rewards. Folkways: established norms of common practice such as those that specify modes of dress, etiquette, and language. Mores: societal norms associated with intense feelings of right and wrong and definite rules of conduct that simply must not be violated: example: incest. Informal social controls not exercised through official group mechanisms: no specifically designated persons in charge of enforcement. More effective in small groups and societies. Laws unwritten so we teach these norms through socialization. Kai erikson: 17th century massachusetts bay colony: cultural homogeneity helps control behaviors, everyone in community pressured potential deviants to conform. Sabah boggs: formal and informal crime control in central cities, suburbs and small towns: asked why their neighborhoods are so safe.
