The above are only examples of actions that can be taken formally. Within everyday life, informal actions can also be taken to make sure that the people in the society abide by these rules. As an alternative to written rules, like the laws, informal social control is maintained on unofficial procedures such as the disapproval or approval of others. Such agencies are:
The Family
This is the first place where socialisation takes place and children learn about the basic norms and values of society, such as learning the difference between right and wrong, good and bad behaviour. If these rules are broken, children may become embarrassed or develop a guilty conscience. The approval or disapproval from parents itself can be a reward or punishment and this can persuade children to conform.
The School
This area of a child’s life is very important and a major part in learning things about the society, how everything works as well as what is seen as acceptable and what is not. The school sets standard of “correct” behaviour, how to dress and many other aspects that is important in the way a child should behave and what is expected by society. These targets are accomplished by sanction such as detentions, suspensions, expulsions, and merit points/credits etc. In the course of the way teachers act and the way the school is organised, such as sport tournaments and examinations, children are encouraged to accept norms like competitiveness, difference in gender roles etc.
The Peer Group
One of the prevalent and most unpleasant pressures to conform is from the peer group. Almost everyone, at some point in their lives, strongly desire approval and acceptance among their peers and would probably do anything to achieve it. An individual’s friends are perhaps the most important group in providing a person’s view of himself or herself and their acceptance in itself is an important basis of social control. The fear of rejection or being mocked and ridiculed by the peers may exert a colossal influence in the way a person behaves and their attitude. However, even though they will conform among the peer group, it may cause them to be seen as deviant among others in society. Such as, if they play truant from school or get involved in bullying, or something against the law like joyriding and vandalism. This behaviour is not deviant amongst the peer group even though it is among the general public.
The Workplace
At work, there are frequently pressures from other workmates to conform to work-related norms. A person who is a deviant among the workplace, may be regarded as a trouble maker or uncooperative and consequently can be denied promotion, allocated to unpleasant parts of the job or even lose their employment. They may also find that other workmates refuse to talk to them, ridicule or mock them and even situations where practical jokes are played on them, if they fail to conform to the norms.
The Mass Media
The mass media can be anything like Television, Radio, Magazines, Newspapers books, cinema, advertising or Internet. These play a major role in a person’s life, their attitudes, beliefs and opinions, and generally influences the way they act or behave. The mass media plays a chief role in providing the ideas and images, which a lot of people use to interpret and understand a lot of their everyday experience.
Religion
The last form of social control, which I will explain, is religion. Religion can be seen as a form of social control as it is guideline to a person’s life and daily day-to-day basis. Especially as people believe that if they act “wrongly” whilst on Earth, they will go to Hell in the afterlife. If they at in the way Allah intended, they will be rewarded in Heaven. This is enough to encourage a person to stick to the rules of society and not commit any crimes, or anything else that is wrong.
