Which is an agency of informal social control?

the family. It has no written laws or official punishments.

What sanction can the workplace use?

dismissal from the job. Losing the job is the final sanction.

How do social media "likes" work as social control?

they reward behaviour that others approve of. A "like" is a positive sanction.

being laughed at or mocked. It is an informal negative sanction.

When is the peer group least likely to produce conformity to society's norms?

when its own norms reward deviant behaviour. A group can enforce norms that differ from society's.

Agencies of informal social control · Cambridge IGCSE Sociology

In plain words

Think of the last time you did not do something because of what people would say. That was informal social control. It has no uniform and no rule book, and it is working on you all day.

8 things to know

The family controls through parental rewards, such as praise and treats, and through punishments, such as being told off or kept in.
Education controls through school punishments, such as detention, through rewards, such as merit marks, and through the hidden curriculum.
The peer group controls through acceptance and rejection. Ostracism is being shut out and ignored by the group. Ridicule and gossip are other sanctions.
The media control by praising some behaviour and shaming other behaviour. On social media, "likes" and followers act as rewards, and hostile comments act as punishments.
Religion controls through religious rewards and sanctions: the promise of reward, the fear of punishment, and the approval or disapproval of the religious community.
The workplace controls through promotion and pay rises, and through warnings and, in the end, dismissal from the job.
Strengths: these agencies work through relationships that people care about, and they are present all the time.
Limitations: people who do not care about a group's approval are not controlled by it. A peer group may reward deviance. Religion has less hold where fewer people believe, and people in large cities are less closely watched by neighbours.

Worked example

A pupil posts a cruel joke about a classmate online. Others reply angrily, many unfollow, and friends stop inviting the pupil out. Identify the agencies and sanctions.

The agencies are the peer group and the media, here social media.
The angry replies and the lost followers are negative sanctions.
Being left out by friends is ostracism.
No official agency is involved, so this is informal social control.

Tips and tricks

Give the named sanction for the agency: ostracism for peers, dismissal for the workplace, "likes" for social media, detention for school.
The same six agencies carry out socialisation and informal social control. Socialisation teaches the norms. Social control enforces them.

5 questions, about 2 minutes.

It lands in your notebook with its questions as flashcards.

Agencies of informal social control: 5 questions and answers

These are the quiz’s questions. Do the quiz first, then come back here for the ones that got you.

Which is an agency of informal social control?
- the family (the answer)
- the courts
- the police
- the armed forces
It has no written laws or official punishments.
What sanction can the workplace use?
- imprisonment
- dismissal from the job (the answer)
- a criminal record
- a court fine
Losing the job is the final sanction.
How do social media "likes" work as social control?
- they are a formal punishment
- they are a law
- they are a form of coercion
- they reward behaviour that others approve of (the answer)
A "like" is a positive sanction.
What is ridicule?
- being laughed at or mocked (the answer)
- being promoted
- being arrested
- being given a prize
It is an informal negative sanction.
When is the peer group least likely to produce conformity to society's norms?Stretch
- when its members want to be accepted
- when it disapproves of crime
- when its own norms reward deviant behaviour (the answer)
- when its members are at school
A group can enforce norms that differ from society's.

5 questions

Tap an answer and you’ll see straight away whether it’s right, and why.

Worksheet

3 questions, 10 marks. Write your answers on paper, then check them.

Agencies of informal social control

Cambridge IGCSE Sociology 0495 · 10 marks · papermunch.org

Name ______________________________ Date ______________

What is meant by the term "ostracism"?[2]
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Being excluded or ignored by a group as a punishment for breaking its norms.
I got this one
Describe how two agencies of informal social control use sanctions.[4]
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Any two, each described: the family uses parental rewards such as praise, and punishments such as grounding; schools use detentions and merit marks; the peer group uses acceptance and ostracism; the media use praise, "likes" and public shaming; religion uses promises of reward and fear of punishment; the workplace uses promotion and dismissal.
I got this one
Explain why informal social control is often more effective than formal social control.[4]
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Informal control comes from people whose approval matters, such as family and friends. It operates all the time, in every situation, while the police are rarely present. People internalise the norms, so they control themselves and do not need to be watched.
I got this one

Answers: Agencies of informal social control

1. Being excluded or ignored by a group as a punishment for breaking its norms.
2. Any two, each described: the family uses parental rewards such as praise, and punishments such as grounding; schools use detentions and merit marks; the peer group uses acceptance and ostracism; the media use praise, "likes" and public shaming; religion uses promises of reward and fear of punishment; the workplace uses promotion and dismissal.
3. Informal control comes from people whose approval matters, such as family and friends. It operates all the time, in every situation, while the police are rarely present. People internalise the norms, so they control themselves and do not need to be watched.