1. Linda Robinson Access to Humanities and Social Sciences Page
1 Agencies of Social Control Formal and Informal Riot police in
Wavertree, Liverpool 1981 (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk) Formal Control-
Curfew Agent- Police Sanction- Criminal record/ Imprisonment In the
picture above the agent implementing the control is Liverpool riot
police and the control used by the police is formal as they are
authorized to enforce the law and maintain control by setting a
curfew; as informal control has not worked, hence the riots.
Therefore anybody not conforming is liable to incur sanctions such
as a caution, prosecution and even incarceration. Tenancy agreement
(www.suug.co.uk) Formal Control- Tenancy Agreement Agent- Owner of
Property/ Council Sanction- Loss of property/Eviction/Court fees
etc. A tenancy agreement is a form of control as is stipulates
terms and conditions needed to be adhered to, in order to maintain
occupancy of property once signed it is a legally binding document,
making this a form of formal control. The agent who enforces this
control is the landlord of the property who has a legal right to
ensure that all tenants comply by the content of their tenancy
agreement. Lack of compliance can result in termination of your
tenancy additionally sanctions set against you can lead to eviction
and additional fees and charges.
2. Linda Robinson Access to Humanities and Social Sciences Page
2 Sarahs Law (www.sarahslaw.co.uk) Formal Control- Sarahs Law/
Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme Agent- Home Office/ Police
Forces in the UK Sanctions- Inclusion of person on sex offenders
register/ Prosecution/ imprisonment if found guilty In 2000 when
Sarah Payne was murdered by a convicted sex offender, Sarahs Law
was established so that the public can request information or relay
their individual concerns to the police, in order to monitor the
identity and whereabouts of sex offenders living in their
neighbourhood. The control in this instance is the Child Sex
Offender Disclosure Scheme, the agent is who enforces this control
is the Home Office and in turn the participating police forces.
Consequently as this control is implemented and enforced by law
this is again a form of formal control. All forms of control have
sanctions, in this case the sanctions include curfew, seclusion
from society, inclusion on the sex offenders register, incurring
criminal charges sometimes leading to imprisonment. Smoking Ban
www.clker.com Formal Control- The Smoking Ban Agent- Premises
Owner/ Public Sanction- Fine/ Caution/ Imprisonment if continual In
accordance to the Health Act 2006, a smoking ban that was passed as
law in 2007, declaring it illegal to smoke tobacco products
indoors. As this is a control that is not optional and written in
law it is a formal type of control and the agents are first and for
most the Home Office, police, owners of premises but also us as
individuals. With every law broken or disregarded thereare
sanctions, the sanctions which may be incurred in this situation
would be a fine, eviction from premises, caution, criminal charges
and in some cases prosecution.
3. Linda Robinson Access to Humanities and Social Sciences Page
3 Hijab wearing women (www.media.photobucket.com) Informal Control-
The covering of head/ face Agent- Family/ Community/ Members of
mosque Sanctions- Exclusion/ Judgement passed by peers, community
This picture shows women wearing a form of head covering called a
hijab, this is form of control used by certain faiths to cover a
womens beauty from the opposite sex. As it a religious and cultural
law rather than a written law and is upheld by certain communities
and faiths rather than a government, this form of control is
informal and the agent implementing and enforcing this control is
the immediate family, community who regard their sub-cultural
values in high esteem. Deviating from this control incurs sanctions
depending on the degree of piousness in their community; sanctions
include dis-fellowship and negative judgement. In other countries
such as Iran it is used as a formal control in turn the agent being
judges and religious leaders, therefore the sanctions are harsher,
and more severe. (www.themarysue.com) Informal and formal social
controls differ depending on their origin, culture and sub-culture
and the variation between them all plays a role in deciding how a
particular control is executed. Table Manners (www.dreamstime.com)
Informal Control- Table Manners/ Use of Agent- Family/ Public/Peers
Sanctions- Exclusion/ Embarrassment/ Asked to leave restaurant
Manners play a big part in our day to day life, etiquette and table
manners are expected. We are accustomed to eating with cutlery,
practising good table manners in a certain way and at a certain
time, this informal control is present from an early age.
4. Linda Robinson Access to Humanities and Social Sciences Page
4 As a society we conform to certain unwritten rules that we have
imposed by primary and secondary socialization, the agents who help
us conform and maintain these controls are parents, family,
friends, the public and most importantly, us as individuals. There
is no written law but an expected level of decorum is expected at
all times, additionally this may differ depending on the cultural
and sub-cultural values, for example in Ethiopia it is customary to
only eat with their hands and have their own way of picking up
food. (www.ireallylikefood.com) As these controls are informal the
sanctions are administered by the people around us, a deviation
from this social norm can result in embarrassment, disgust and
general distaste. If in a formal situation such as restaurant, not
conforming to this control can result in being asked to leave an
establishment, as restaurants have their own code of conduct to
adhere to. Age gaps in relationships (www.huffingtonpost.co.uk)
Informal Control- Dating within your age bracket Agent- Public/
Families/Press Sanctions-Being ostracized/ Judgements passed
Relationships have many unwritten rules, who, why and how we choose
to date differs from person to person, but generally one of these
rules is dating of people within your age bracket. The media plays
a big part in maintaining this informal control through magazines,
movies and publications, also the values we learn marginally
through primary and eventually secondary socialization set the
boundaries when choosing a partner, making the media, press,
public, friends and families agents of this informal
control.Correspondingly the sanctions are usually executed by the
actual agents of this informal control by means of ostracism,
meanwhile some sub-cultures such as the rich, famous, musicians,
and people of power it is openly accepted due to the values in
these sub-cultures.
5. Linda Robinson Access to Humanities and Social Sciences Page
5 Giving up seat (wwwsgforums.com) Informal Control- The giving up
of seat to old, infirmed, women, children Agent- A person/ Public
around us/ Public transport service providers Sanctions- People
around you/ Judgement passed/ Labelled as rude, lacking in respect
for others/ Opinions of others and their judgements. How we treat
each other and the vulnerable people around us depends on our
individual morals and values, as our personal views differ, we have
a universal understanding that women, children and the impaired
should be given priority as regards to seating, especially on
public transport. The agents of control in this instance are the
public service transport providers, the people that use this
service and society in general. Despite this universal
understanding , some people sway from the social norm in turn
sanctions can be used to persuade conformity, sanctions such as
being confronted, questioned even asked to vacate the seat causing
personal embarrassment, tension even anger. All controls have
cultural relativity and historical validity, for example in
Alabama, Mississippi over 50 years ago seats on buses were
segregated and was illegal for black people to sit on a white
allocated seat, however Rosa Parks ignored the formal control set
by authorities and refused to give up her segregated black seat to
a white person due to the lack of seats in the white section. Rosa
Parks refusal although widely honoured in later years she also
suffered for her act; she was fired from her job as a seamstress in
a local department store. (www.en.wikipedia.co.uk) Control, whether
it be formal or informal, their agents including their sanctions
are used throughout mankind, they vary depending on the agents of
the particular control and their individual social norms and values
which are dictated by origin, primary, secondary socialization,
cultural, sub-cultural even cross-cultural values and the agents
that enforce them. All controls have cultural relativity and
historical validity therefore cannot always be generalised.
