Social Control Agencies

Social Control Agencies

When people are born, they know nothing about the world, its rules, and culture. They have to be socialized by their parents, teachers, and the broader community. As people grow up, they are introduced to the expected and appropriate behavior that every society member has to uphold. Since we all live in a community, some universal rules and norms are to be followed by everyone. Anyone who deviates from these established norms receives a minimum level of punishment in an attempt to maintain social order. There are formal and informal agencies of social control that regulate group or individual behavior in society.

Formal Social Control Agencies

One way of regulating human behavior is by use of authorized agents, including the police, military officers, and employers. These agencies are always the last resort, as the community should provide social order without using force or violence (Deflem, 2015). However, social control institutions are used in cases whereby informal social control mechanisms are ineffective. In such cases, force has to be applied to ensure that individuals or groups of people live by the established standards.

Formal social control agencies use rules and regulations to address defiance in society. According to Esudu (2017), laws are established to ensure peace and harmony and to restrain people from getting beyond specific societal guidelines. In most societies, there is a government that enforces laws by use of the police, courts, the army, and prison. Mathews (2016) states that police exist in all countries and effective apparatus of social control. Violators of the social rules are punished as per the laws enacted by the state. Unlike the informal agencies, the law is highly effective in governing people’s social behaviors and conduct for fear of punishments. Hence, the law is the most popular means of social control today.

In most cases, formal organizations of social control use force to handle deviants or individuals who behave contrary to social norms. As Esudu (2017) notes, the society has all kinds of people who are determined to destabilize the balance of the natural community, and this is where law enforcement officers come in to restore order and make people live together cohesively. The absence of law enforcement officers would create a society whereby only the fittest survive. The police enforce the law and, in the process, help to maintain the morality of community and individual personalities.

Informal Agencies of Social Control

Informal social control takes place at the societal level without stating any laws or rules. Every society has customs and norms that are enforced by informal agents, such as the church, family, and the neighborhood. Most societal norms are a response to deviant behaviors by some community members. According to Deflem (2015), social control is essential in society at a time when there is increased differentiation and individualism. Informal agencies, thus, enforce specific norms to integrate members of society. There are informal sanctions, such as criticism, ridicule, shame, and disapproval, which are imposed on insolent individuals. In some extreme defiant cases, exclusion and social discrimination are used. Nonetheless, informal agencies are only effective in small group settings, including family, friends, and neighborhood.

The society has informal mechanisms of enforcing social order within the neighborhood. A community may have several neighborhoods that are referred to as villages. Once a person is born, he or she comes into contact with the neighborhood first. At this basic level of society, members introduce rewards and penalties to ensure harmonious coexistence among all people. As Groff (2015) states, residential streets are the common neighborhoods where informal social control develops. As people interact, norms not only emerge but also strengthen over time. There is a group cohesiveness that obligates all community members to obey existing standards, values, and expectations.

The church is also one of the most effective informal agents of social control. According to Pillay (2017), the church has a significant role to play as a change and transformation agent in society. In most cultures, religion not only teaches virtue but also catalyzes moral action. As a Christian, one is expected to live as per specific standards and shun certain behaviors, such as stealing, lying, adultery, and violence. Religion, moreover, teaches people particular virtues, such as obedience, generosity, self-control, humility, and concern for others. Christians are, hence, expected to be good examples by demonstrating biblical teachings in their everyday behaviors.

Family is also an essential informal agency of social control. According to Groff (2015), informal social control operates at small units, such as families, and large units, such as neighborhoods and workplaces. Hence, the family is the first place where everyone is socialized. As Pannilage (2015) notes, the family acts as the basic societal foundation. In the family environment, people learn behavior patterns, conventions, and various methods of living. Parents and close relatives teach children to obey social controls as well as to respect social laws. People also learn community customs, traditions, and folkways from the family. Members of the family influence each other through suggestions, praise, blame, criticism, and ridicule. All these mechanisms ensure that all people conform to societal behavioral expectations.

Problems Faced by these Agencies

In spite of the agencies of social control’s effectiveness in maintaining social order, they face a number of problems that limit their functioning. For example, most formal agencies are negatively affected by anarchism. In some societies, there are individuals and groups of people that are skeptical towards the rule of law and reject all forms of authority. Some powerful and influential individuals, such as politicians, also undermine the rule of law, further undermining the formal agencies. Informal agencies, such as the church, are also hampered by atheism. In modern society, there is an increase in the number of people who are skeptical about the role of religion in upholding morality. Finally, the family institutions have collapsed since most parents are absent in their children’s lives. As a result, children seek counsel from their peers and may end falling victims of negative peer-influence. Modernization has also undermined basic societal structures, such as the council of elders, which are fundamental in maintaining social order.

These challenges can be addressed if formal and informal agencies regain respect and recognition in the modern society. All people should be educated about the need to uphold societal norms, values, and the rule of law. Laws should apply equally to all people, and those who break them should be severely punished. The church should also arise and take up its rightful position in safeguarding morality in society. As McKay and Whitehouse (2015) state, some people think that morality is not in any way related to religion. However, the church has a significant role to play in condemning social evils witnessed in most societies today. On their part, parents should create time to obey social controls as well as to respect established laws. If all these issues are addressed, the community will be guaranteed social order.

Conclusion

Individual or group behavior in society is regulated by both formal and informal agencies of social control. Formal agencies take the form of authorized agents, such as employers, the military, and the police. These agencies use rules and regulations to handle defiant behavior in the community. On the other side, informal agencies enforce customs and norms without stating any laws or regulations. They take the form of small units, such as families and big units, such as neighborhoods and the church. However, maintaining social order by these institutions is always hindered by various challenges, especially individuals and groups that are skeptical about law and order.