Formal and informal positive sanctions. Informal positive sanctions: definition, features

Formal negative sanctions are one of the tools for maintaining social norms in society.

What is the norm

This term comes from Latin. Literally means "rule of conduct", "sample". We all live in a society, in a community. Everyone has their own values, preferences, interests. All this gives the individual certain rights and freedoms. But we must not forget that people live next to each other. This united collective is called society or society. And it is important to know what laws govern the rules of conduct in it. They are called social norms. Formal negative sanctions make it possible to enforce them.

Types of social norms

Rules of conduct in society are divided into subspecies. It is important to know this, because social sanctions and their application depend on them. They are divided into:

• Customs and traditions. Pass from one generation to another for many centuries and even millennia. Weddings, holidays, etc.
• Legal. Enshrined in laws and regulations.
• Religious. Rules of conduct based on faith. Baptismal ceremonies, religious festivals, fasting, etc.
• Aesthetic. Based on a sense of beauty and ugliness.
• Political. Regulate political sphere and everything connected with it.

There are also many other rules. For example, the rules of etiquette, medical standards, safety regulations, etc. But we have listed the main ones. Thus, it is erroneous to assume that social sanctions only apply to the legal sphere. Law is only one of the subcategories of social norms.

Deviant behavior

Naturally, all people in society must live according to generally accepted rules. Otherwise, chaos and anarchy will ensue. But some individuals sometimes cease to obey generally accepted laws. They break them. Such behavior is called deviant or deviant. It is for this that formal negative sanctions.

Types of sanctions

As it has become clear, they are called upon to restore order in society. But it is a mistake to think that sanctions have a negative connotation. That this is something bad. In politics, this term is positioned as a restrictive tool. There is a wrong concept, meaning a ban, a taboo. One can recall and cite as an example the recent events and the trade war between Western countries and the Russian Federation.

In fact, there are four types:

• Formal negative sanctions.
• Informal negative.
• Formal positive.
• Informal positive.

But let's take a closer look at one type.

Formal negative sanctions: examples of application

It was not by chance that they received such a name. They are characterized by the following factors:

• Associated with a formal manifestation, in contrast to the informal, which have only an emotional connotation.
• They are used only for deviant (deviant) behavior, in contrast to positive ones, which, on the contrary, are designed to encourage an individual for exemplary fulfillment of social norms.

Let's take a concrete example from labor law. Let's say citizen Ivanov is an entrepreneur. Several people work for him. In the course of labor relations, Ivanov violates the terms of the labor contract concluded with employees and delays their wages, arguing this with the crisis phenomena in the economy.

Indeed, sales volumes have declined sharply. The entrepreneur does not have enough money to cover wage arrears to employees. You might think that he is not guilty and can detain with impunity cash. But actually it is not.

As an entrepreneur, he had to weigh all the risks in carrying out his activities. Otherwise, he is obliged to warn employees about this and start appropriate procedures. This is provided by law. But instead, Ivanov hoped that everything would work out. The workers, of course, did not suspect anything.

When the day of payment arrives, they find out that there is no money in the cash register. Naturally, their rights are violated in this case (each employee has financial plans for vacation, social security, and possibly certain financial obligations). Workers file a formal complaint with the state labor protection inspectorate. The entrepreneur violated this case norms of labor and civil codes. Inspection authorities confirmed this and ordered to pay soon wages. For each day of delay, a certain penalty is now charged in accordance with the refinancing rate of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation. In addition, the inspection authorities imposed an administrative fine on Ivanov for violations of labor standards. Such actions will be an example of formal negative sanctions.

conclusions

But an administrative fine is not the only measure. For example, an employee was severely reprimanded for being late to the office. The formality in this case consists in a specific action - entering into a personal file. If the consequences for his lateness were limited only to the fact that the director emotionally, in words, made a remark to him, then this would be an example of informal negative sanctions.

But not only in labor relations they are applied. Mostly negative formal social sanctions prevail in almost all spheres. The exception, of course, is moral and aesthetic norms, rules of etiquette. Their violations are usually followed by informal sanctions. They are wearing emotional character. For example, no one will fine a person for not stopping on the highway in forty-degree frost and not taking a mother with a baby as a fellow traveler. Although society may react negatively to this. A flurry of criticism will fall on this citizen, if, of course, this is made public.

But do not forget that many norms in these areas are enshrined in laws and regulations. This means that for their violation it is possible, in addition to informal ones, to receive formal negative sanctions in the form of arrests, fines, reprimands, etc. For example, smoking in public places. This is an aesthetic norm, or rather, a deviation from it. It is ugly to smoke on the street and poison all passers-by with tar. But until recently, only informal sanctions relied on this. For example, a grandmother may be critical of a violator. Today, smoking bans are a legal norm. For its violation, the individual will be punished with a fine. This a prime example transformation of an aesthetic norm into a legal plane with formal consequences.

All procedures by which the behavior of an individual is brought to the norm of a social group are called sanctions.

social sanction - measure of influence, the most important means of social control.

There are the following types of sanctions:

- negative and positive ,

- formal and informal .

Negative sanctions directed against a person who has deviated from social norms.

Positive sanctions aimed at the support and approval of a person who follows these standards.

Formal sanctions imposed by an official, public or state body or their representative.

informal usually involve the reaction of group members, friends, colleagues, relatives, acquaintances, etc.

Thus, it is possible to distinguish four types of sanctions:

1. formal negative,

2. formal positive,

3. informal negative,

4. informal positive.

For example , five for the student's answer in class - formal positive sanction. An example negative informal sanction May be condemnation of a person public opinion.

Positive sanctions are usually more powerful than negative sanctions..

For example For a student, reinforcing academic success with positive grades is more stimulating than a negative grade for a poorly completed assignment.

Sanctions are effective only when there is agreement on the correctness of their application and the authority of those who apply them.

For example, the nurse can take the penalty for granted if she considers it fair, and if the penalty does not correspond to the misconduct, the nurse will consider that she was treated unfairly, and not only will not correct her behavior, but, on the contrary, may show a negative reaction.

Basic forms of social control

Forms of social control - these are ways of regulating human life in society, which are due to various social (group) processes and are associated with the psychological characteristics of large and small social groups.

Forms of social control predetermine the transition of external social regulation into intrapersonal.

The most common forms of social control are:

traditions,

Morality and manners

Etiquette, manners, habits.

Ø Law - a set of normative acts that have legal force and regulate the formal relations of people across the state.

Laws are directly related to and determined by a particular power in society, which, in turn, leads to the establishment of a certain way of life. Many important events in life (marriage, childbirth, university graduation, etc.) are directly related to laws. Neglect of legal norms can lead to negative socio-psychological consequences.

For example, people living in a civil marriage, with legally unregistered marital relations, may face negative sanctions of an informal nature.

The law acts as an active and effective form of social control.

Ø Taboo – a system of prohibitions on the commission of any actions or thoughts of a person.

One of the most ancient forms of social control, preceding the emergence of laws, is taboo. IN primitive society taboos regulated important aspects of life. It was believed that when prohibitions were violated, supernatural forces should punish the violator. At the level of modern individual consciousness, taboos are most often associated with superstitions - such prejudices, due to which much of what is happening seems to be a manifestation of supernatural forces or an omen.

For example , a student going to take an exam can change the path if a black cat crosses the road; the young mother is afraid that someone else's gaze will harm the baby, and so on. A person is afraid that if the ritual is not performed by him, then unfavorable consequences for him will certainly arise. Internal taboos are (often at the subconscious level) social prohibitions in the past.

Ø Customs -repetitive, habitual for the majority ways of human behavior, common in a given society.

Customs are assimilated from childhood and have the character of a social habit. The main sign of custom is prevalence. Custom is determined by the conditions of society in this moment time and in that it differs from tradition.

Ø Traditions -are timeless in nature and exist for a long time, being passed down from generation to generation.

Traditions are practices that:

First, they have developed historically in connection with the culture of a given ethnic group;

Secondly, they are passed down from generation to generation;

Thirdly, they are determined by the mentality (spiritual warehouse) of the people.

We can say that traditions are one of the most conservative forms of social control. But traditions can also gradually change and be transformed in accordance with socio-economic and cultural changes that affect social patterns of behavior.

For example , the tradition of the existence of a patriarchal family is gradually changing in many countries of the world. The composition of a modern family living under one roof increasingly includes only two generations: parents - children.

Customs and traditions cover mass forms of behavior and play a huge role in society. The psychological meaning of a custom or tradition – solidarity of people. Solidarity unites people of one society, makes them more united and, therefore, stronger. Punishment (negative sanctions) following the violation of tradition only contributes to maintaining the unity of the group. It is impossible to understand the essence of tradition outside the culture of the people. Many customs are eliminated with the change of life in society.

Ø Moral -special customs that moral significance and related to the understanding of good and evil in this social group or society.

Morality defines what people traditionally allow or forbid themselves in connection with their ideas about good and bad. Despite the diversity of such ideas, moral norms are very similar in most cases. human cultures regardless of the form they take.

Ø Conscience – a special, unique quality of a person that determines his essence.

According to V. Dahl, conscience - this is moral consciousness, moral instinct or feeling in a person; inner consciousness good and evil; the secret of the soul, in which the approval or condemnation of each act is recalled; the ability to recognize the quality of an act; a feeling prompting to truth and goodness, averting from lies and evil; involuntary love for the good and for the truth; innate truth in varying degrees of development ( Dictionary living Great Russian language. - St. Petersburg, 1997. - T. 4).

In philosophy and psychology conscience is interpreted as the ability of a person to exercise moral self-control, independently formulate moral duties for himself, demand from himself their fulfillment and evaluate the actions performed (Philosophical Encyclopedic Dictionary. - M., 1983; Psychology: Dictionary. - M., 1990).

Conscience carries internal special controlling functions, it is the absolute guarantor of the realization moral principles. At the same time, it is impossible not to notice that, unfortunately, in modern life they do not always contribute to the development of this unique human property.

Ø Morals -the designation of customs that have moral significance and characterize all those forms of behavior of people in a particular social stratum that can be subjected to moral assessment.

Unlike morality, mores are associated with certain social groups. That is, the generally accepted morality in society can be one, but the mores are different.

For example , the mores of the elite and the mores of the working part of society have significant differences.

On individual level morals are shown in manners of a person, the peculiarities of his behavior.

Ø Manners – a set of behavioral habits this person or a particular social group.

This external forms behavior, ways of doing something, characterizing a certain social type. By manners, we can determine to which social group a person belongs, what is his profession or main activity.

Ø Habit -an unconscious action that has been repeated so many times in a person's life that it has become automated.

Habits are formed under the influence of the immediate environment and, above all, family education. Particular attention should be paid to the fact that habits acquirenature of need if they are formed and fixed.

At the first stage of habit formation, due to its novelty, the individual experiences certain difficulties in assimilation. But when action is perfectly learned, it becomes necessary. We do not pay attention to our habits, because it is, as it were, a part of ourselves, it is something natural and necessary. Other people's habits that are not like ours can be quite annoying.

For example , newlyweds may experience some everyday difficulties due to the difference in habits. And in families that exist long enough and safely, one can observe the unity of habits or agreement about their manifestations.

famous proverb reads:

“Sow a deed, reap a habit,

- a mechanism for maintaining public order through regulatory regulation, which implies the actions of society aimed at preventing deviant behavior, punishing deviants or correcting them.

The concept of social control

The most important condition for the effective functioning of the social system is the predictability of social actions and social behavior people, in the absence of which the social system is waiting for disorganization and disintegration. Society has certain means by which it ensures the reproduction of existing social relations and interactions. One of these means is social control, the main function of which is to create conditions for the stability of the social system, maintaining social stability and at the same time for positive social change. This requires flexibility from social control, including the ability to recognize positive-constructive deviations from social norms, which should be encouraged, and negative-dysfunctional deviations, to which certain sanctions should be applied (from the Latin sanctio - the strictest decree) negative character, including legal ones.

- this, on the one hand, is a mechanism of social regulation, a set of means and methods of social influence, and on the other, the social practice of their use.

In general, the social behavior of the individual proceeds under the control of society and the surrounding people. They not only teach the individual the rules of social behavior in the process of socialization, but also act as agents of social control, observing the correct assimilation of social behavior patterns and their implementation in practice. In this regard, social control acts as a special form and method of social regulation of people's behavior in society. Social control is manifested in the subordination of the individual to the social group in which he is integrated, which is expressed in meaningful or spontaneous following. social norms prescribed by this group.

Social control consists of two elements— social norms and social sanctions.

Social norms are socially approved or legislatively fixed rules, standards, patterns that regulate the social behavior of people.

Social sanctions are rewards and punishments that encourage people to comply with social norms.

social norms

social norms- these are socially approved or legislatively fixed rules, standards, patterns that regulate the social behavior of people. Therefore, social norms are divided into legal norms, moral norms and proper social norms.

Legal regulations - These are norms formally enshrined in various kinds legislative acts. Violation legal regulations involves legal, administrative and other types of punishment.

moral standards- informal norms functioning in the form of public opinion. The main tool in the system of moral norms is public censure or public approval.

TO social norms usually include:

• group social habits (for example, "don't turn up your nose in front of your own");
• social customs (for example, hospitality);
• social traditions (for example, subordination of children to parents),
• public mores (manners, morality, etiquette);
• social taboos (absolute prohibitions on cannibalism, infanticide, etc.). Customs, traditions, mores, taboos are sometimes called general rules social behavior.

social sanction

Sanction is recognized as the main instrument of social control and represents an incentive for compliance, expressed in the form of encouragement (positive sanction) or punishment (negative sanction). Sanctions are formal, imposed by the state or specially authorized organizations and persons, and informal, expressed by unofficial persons.

Social sanctions - they are rewards and punishments that encourage people to comply with social norms. In this regard, social sanctions can be called the guardian of social norms.

Social norms and social sanctions are an inseparable whole, and if some social norm does not have a social sanction accompanying it, then it loses its social regulatory function. For example, in the 19th century in countries Western Europe the birth of children only in a legal marriage was considered a social norm. Therefore, illegitimate children were excluded from the inheritance of their parents' property, they were neglected in everyday communication, they could not enter into worthy marriages. However, society, as it modernized and softened public opinion regarding illegitimate children, gradually began to exclude informal and formal sanctions for violating this norm. As a result, this social norm ceased to exist altogether.

There are the following mechanisms of social control:

• isolation - isolating the deviant from society (for example, imprisonment);
• isolation - limiting the deviant's contacts with others (for example, placement in a psychiatric clinic);
• rehabilitation - a set of measures aimed at returning the deviant to normal life.

Types of social sanctions

Although formal sanctions appear to be more effective, informal sanctions are actually more important to the individual. The need for friendship, love, recognition, or the fear of ridicule and shame are often more effective than orders or fines.

In the process of socialization, forms of external control are internalized so that they become part of his own beliefs. An internal control system is being formed, called self-control. A typical example of self-control is the pangs of conscience of a person who has committed an unworthy act. In a developed society, the mechanisms of self-control prevail over the mechanisms of external control.

Types of social control

In sociology, two main processes of social control are distinguished: the application of positive or negative sanctions for the social behavior of an individual; interiorization (from the French interiorisation - transition from outside to inside) by an individual of social norms of behavior. In this regard, external social control and internal social control, or self-control, are distinguished.

External social control is a set of forms, methods and actions that guarantee compliance with social norms of behavior. There are two types of external control - formal and informal.

Formal social control, based on official approval or condemnation, is carried out by state authorities, political and social organizations, the education system, the media and operates throughout the country, based on written norms - laws, decrees, resolutions, orders and instructions. Formal social control may also include the dominant ideology in society. Speaking of formal social control, they mean, first of all, actions aimed at making people respect laws and order with the help of government representatives. Such control is especially effective in large social groups.

Informal social control based on the approval or condemnation of relatives, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, public opinion, expressed through traditions, customs or the media. The agents of informal social control are such social institutions as family, school, religion. This type of control is especially effective in small social groups.

In the process of social control, violation of some social norms is followed by a very weak punishment, for example, disapproval, an unfriendly look, a smirk. Violation of other social norms is followed by severe punishments - the death penalty, imprisonment, exile from the country. Violation of taboos and legal laws is punished most severely; certain types group habits, especially family habits.

Internal social control- independent regulation by the individual of his social behavior in society. In the process of self-control, a person independently regulates his social behavior, coordinating it with generally accepted norms. This type of control is manifested, on the one hand, in a sense of guilt, emotional experiences, "remorse" for social actions, on the other hand, in the form of an individual's reflection on his social behavior.

An individual's self-control over his own social behavior is formed in the process of his socialization and the formation of socio-psychological mechanisms of his internal self-regulation. The main elements of self-control are consciousness, conscience and will.

- it is an individual form of mental representation of reality in the form of a generalized and subjective model of the surrounding world in the form of verbal concepts and sensory images. Consciousness allows the individual to rationalize his social behavior.

Conscience- the ability of a person to independently formulate his own moral duties and demand from himself their fulfillment, as well as to make a self-assessment of the actions and deeds performed. Conscience does not allow an individual to violate his established attitudes, principles, beliefs, in accordance with which he builds his social behavior.

Will- conscious regulation by a person of his behavior and activities, expressed in the ability to overcome external and internal difficulties in the performance of purposeful actions and deeds. The will helps the individual to overcome his inner subconscious desires and needs, to act and behave in society in accordance with his convictions.

In the process of social behavior, the individual has to constantly fight with his subconscious, which gives his behavior a spontaneous character, therefore self-control is the most important condition for the social behavior of people. Typically, individuals' self-control over their social behavior increases with age. But it also depends on social circumstances and the nature of external social control: the tighter the external control, the weaker the self-control. Moreover, social experience shows that the weaker the individual's self-control, the tougher external control should be in relation to him. However, this is fraught with great social costs, since strict external control is accompanied by social degradation of the individual.

In addition to external and internal social control of the social behavior of an individual, there are also: 1) indirect social control based on identification with a reference law-abiding group; 2) social control based on wide availability various ways achieving goals and satisfying needs that are alternative to illegal or immoral.

Term "social control" was introduced into scientific circulation by the French sociologist and social psychologist Tarde. He viewed it as an important remedy for criminal behavior. Subsequently, Tarde expanded the understanding of this term and considered social control as one of the main factors of socialization.

Social control is a mechanism of social regulation of behavior and maintenance of public order.

Informal and formal control

Informal control is based on the acceptance or condemnation of a person's actions by her relatives, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, as well as by public opinion, which is expressed through customs and traditions, or through the media.

IN traditional society there were very few established norms. Most aspects of the lives of members of traditional rural communities were controlled informally. Strict observance of rituals and ceremonies associated with traditional holidays and rituals, brought up respect for social norms, an understanding of their necessity.

Informal control is limited to a small group, in large group he is ineffective. The agents of informal control are relatives, friends, neighbors, and acquaintances.

Formal control is based on the approval or condemnation of a person's actions by official authorities and administration. In difficult modern society which has many thousands or even millions of people, it is impossible to maintain order by means of informal control. In modern society, order is controlled by special social institutions, such as courts, educational institutions, army, church, mass media, enterprises, etc. Accordingly, the agents of formal control are the employees of these institutions.

If an individual goes beyond social norms, and his behavior does not meet social expectations, he will certainly face sanctions, that is, people's emotional reaction to normatively regulated behavior.

Sanctions- this is the punishment and reward applied by a social group to an individual.

Since social control can be formal or informal, there are four main types of sanctions: formal positive, formal negative, informal positive and informal negative.

Formal positive sanctions- this is public approval from official organizations: diplomas, awards, titles and titles, state awards and high positions. They are closely related to the presence of prescriptions, determine how the individual should behave and which rewards are provided for compliance with normative prescriptions.

Formal negative sanctions- these are the penalties provided for by legal laws, government regulations, administrative instructions and orders: deprivation civil rights, imprisonment, arrest, dismissal from work, a fine, an official penalty, a reprimand, the death penalty, etc. They are associated with the presence of regulations governing the behavior of an individual and indicate what kind of punishment is intended for non-compliance with these norms.

Informal positive sanctions- this is public approval from unofficial persons and organizations: public praise, compliment, silent approval, applause, fame, smile, and the like.

Informal negative sanctions- this is a punishment unforeseen by official authorities, such as a remark, ridicule, bad joke, neglect, unfavorable opinion, slander, etc.

The typology of sanctions depends on the system of educational features we have chosen.

Given the method of application of sanctions, current and prospective sanctions are distinguished.

Current sanctions are those that actually apply in a certain generality. Everyone can be sure that if he goes beyond the existing social norms, he will be punished or rewarded in accordance with the existing regulations.

Perspective sanctions are associated with the promises of punishment or reward to the individual in case of going beyond the limits of normative prescriptions. Very often the mere threat of punishment (the promise of a reward) is sufficient to keep the individual within the normative framework.

Another criterion for dividing sanctions is related to the time of their application.

Repressive sanctions are applied after an individual performs a certain action. The amount of punishment or reward is determined by public beliefs regarding the harmfulness or usefulness of its action.

Preventive sanctions are applied even before an individual performs a certain action. Preventive sanctions are applied in order to incline the individual to the type of behavior that society needs.

Today, in most civilized countries, the prevailing belief is the "crisis of punishment", the crisis of state and police control. There is an increasing movement to abolish not only the death penalty, but also imprisonment and in the transition to alternative penalties and the restoration of the rights of victims.

Progressive and promising in world criminology and sociology of deviations is the idea of ​​preventiveness.

Theoretically, the possibility of crime prevention has long been known. Charles Montesquieu in his work "The Spirit of the Laws" noted that "a good legislator is not so worried about the punishment for a crime, as he will try to prevent a crime not so much to punish as to improve morality." Preventive sanctions improve social conditions, create a more favorable atmosphere and reduce inhumane acts. They are able to protect specific person, a potential victim from possible encroachments.

However, there is another point of view. While agreeing that the prevention of crime (as well as other forms of deviant behavior) is democratic, liberal and progressive than repression, some sociologists (T. Mathyssen, B. Andersen and others) question the realism and effectiveness of preventive measures. their arguments are:

Since deviance is a certain conditional construct, a product of social agreements (why, for example, in one society is alcohol allowed, and in another - its use is considered a deviation?), Then the legislator decides what is an offense. Will prevention become a way to strengthen the position of those in power?

Prevention involves the impact on the causes of deviant behavior. And who can say with certainty that he knows these reasons? There are dozens of theories explaining the causes of deviations. Which of them can be taken as a basis and applied in practice?

Prevention is always an intervention in the privacy of a person. Therefore, there is a danger of violation of human rights through the introduction of preventive measures (for example, violation of the rights of homosexuals in the USSR).

The tightening of sanctions depends on:

Measures of formalization of the role. The military, policemen, doctors - are controlled very tightly, both formally and by the public, and, say, friendship - is realized through unformalized social roles, so the sanctions here are rather conditional.

Prestige Status: Roles associated with prestige status are subject to harsh external scrutiny and self-monitoring.

The cohesion of the group within which role behavior occurs, and hence the forces of group control.

Control questions and tasks

1. What behavior is called deviant?

2. What is the relativity of deviation?

3. What behavior is called delinquent?

4. What are the causes of deviant and delinquent behavior?

5. What is the difference between delinquent and deviant behavior?

6. Name the functions of social deviations.

7. Describe the biological and psychological theories deviant behavior and crime.

8. Describe the sociological theories of deviant behavior and crime.

9. What functions does the system of social control perform?

10. What are "sanctions"? What types of sanctions?

11. What is the difference between formal and informal sanctions?

12. What are the differences between repressive and preventive sanctions.

13. Give examples of what determines the severity of sanctions.

14. What is the difference between the methods of informal and formal control?

15. Name the agents of informal and formal control.

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Sanctions are the guardians of norms. Social sanctions - an extensive system of rewards for the implementation of norms, and punishments for deviation from them (ie, deviance).

Fig.1 Types of social sanctions.

There are four types of sanctions:

Formal positive sanctions- public approval by official organizations, documented with signatures and seals. These include, for example, awarding orders, titles, prizes, admission to high positions, etc.

Informal positive sanctions- public approval that does not come from official organizations: a compliment, a smile, fame, applause, etc.

Formal negative sanctions- punishments provided for by laws, instructions, decrees, etc. These are arrest, imprisonment, excommunication, a fine, etc.

Informal negative sanctions- punishments not provided for by laws - mockery, censure, notation, neglect, spreading rumors, feuilleton in the newspaper, slander, etc.

Norms and sanctions are combined into one whole. If a norm lacks an accompanying sanction, then it loses its regulatory function. Say, in the 19th century. in Western Europe, the birth of children in a legal marriage was considered the norm. Illegitimate children were excluded from the inheritance of their parents' property, they could not enter into worthy marriages, they were neglected in everyday communication. Gradually, as society modernized, it excluded sanctions for violation of this norm, and public opinion softened. As a result, the norm ceased to exist.

3. Mechanisms of action of social control

By themselves, social norms do not control anything. People's behavior is controlled by other people based on norms that are expected to be followed by everyone. Compliance with norms, like the implementation of sanctions, makes our behavior predictable. Each of us knows, and for a serious crime - imprisonment. When we expect a certain act from another person, we hope that he knows not only the norm, but also the sanction following it.

Thus, norms and sanctions are combined into a single whole. If a norm lacks a sanction that accompanies it, then it ceases to regulate real behavior. It becomes a slogan, an appeal, an appeal, but it ceases to be an element of social control.

The application of social sanctions in some cases requires the presence of outsiders, while in others it does not. The dismissal is formalized by the personnel department of the institution and involves the preliminary issuance of an order or order. Imprisonment requires a complex procedure of judicial proceedings, on the basis of which a judgment is issued. Bringing to administrative responsibility, say a fine for ticketless travel, involves the presence of an official transport controller, and sometimes a policeman. The assignment of a scientific degree involves an equally complex procedure for defending a scientific dissertation and the decision of the Academic Council. Sanctions against violators of group habits require a smaller number of persons, but, nevertheless, they are never applied to oneself. If the application of sanctions is committed by the person himself, directed at himself and occurs inside, then this form of control should be considered self-control.

social control- the most effective tool with which the powerful institutions of society organize the life of ordinary citizens. The instruments, or in this case the methods, of social control are of great variety; they depend on the situation, goals and nature of the particular group where they are used. They range from one-on-one showdowns to psychological pressure, physical abuse, economic coercion. It is not necessary that the control mechanisms were aimed at excluding an undesirable person and incentivizing the loyalty of others. “Isolation” is most often subjected not to the individual himself, but to his actions, statements, relations with other persons.

Unlike self-control, external control is a set of institutions and mechanisms that guarantee compliance with generally accepted norms of behavior and laws. It is divided into informal (intragroup) and formal (institutional).

Formal control is based on the approval or disapproval of official authorities and administration.

Informal control is based on approval or condemnation from a group of relatives, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, as well as from public opinion, which is expressed through traditions and customs or the media.

The traditional rural community controlled all aspects of the life of its members: the choice of the bride, the methods of resolving disputes and conflicts, the methods of courtship, the choice of the name of the newborn, and much more. There were no written rules. Public opinion, most often expressed by the oldest members of the community, acted as a controller. Religion was organically woven into a single system of social control. Strict observance of rituals and ceremonies associated with traditional holidays and ceremonies (for example, marriages, childbirth, reaching maturity, betrothal, harvest) brought up a sense of respect for social norms, instilled a deep understanding of their necessity.

In compact primary groups, extremely effective and at the same time very subtle control mechanisms, such as persuasion, ridicule, gossip and contempt, constantly operate to curb real and potential deviants. Ridicule and gossip are powerful tools of social control in all types of seed groups. Unlike formal methods of control, such as reprimands or demotions, informal methods are available to almost everyone. Both ridicule and gossip can be manipulated by any intelligent person who has access to their transmission channels.

Not only commercial organizations, but also universities and the church successfully use economic sanctions to keep their staff from deviant behavior, that is, such behavior that is regarded as beyond acceptable.

Crosby (1975) singled out four main types of informal control.

Social rewards, manifested as smiles, nods of approval and measures that contribute to obtaining more real benefits (for example, promotion), serve to encourage conformity and indirectly condemn deviance.

Punishment, expressed as a frown, critical remarks and even threats of physical violence, is directly directed against deviant acts and is due to the desire to eradicate them.

Belief is another way to influence deviants. A coach can convince a baseball player who skips practice to keep fit.

The final, more complex type of social control is reassessment of norms- at the same time, behavior that was considered deviant is assessed as normal. For example, in the past, if a husband stayed at home doing housework and taking care of the children while his wife went to work, his behavior was considered unusual and even deviant. At present (mainly as a result of the struggle of women for their rights), the roles in the family are gradually being revised, the performance of housework by a man has ceased to be considered reprehensible and shameful.

Informal control can also be performed by the family, circle of relatives, friends and acquaintances. They are called agents of informal control. If we consider the family as a social institution, then we should talk about it as the most important institution of social control.

Formal control historically arose later than informal - during the period of the emergence of complex societies and states, in particular, ancient Eastern empires.

Although, undoubtedly, we can easily find its harbingers in more early period- in the so-called identities, where the circle is clearly marked formal sanctions, officially applied to violators, for example, the death penalty, expulsion from the tribe, removal from office, as well as all kinds of rewards.

However, in modern society, the importance of formal control has greatly increased. Why? It turns out that in a complex society, especially in a country of many millions, it is increasingly difficult to maintain order and stability. Informal control is limited to a small group of people. In a large group, it is ineffective. Therefore, it is called Local (local). On the contrary, formal control operates throughout the country. He is global.

It is carried out by special people - formal control. These are persons specially trained and paid for the performance of control functions. They are carriers of social statuses and roles. They include judges, police officers, psychiatrists, social workers, special church officials, and so on.

If in a traditional society social control rested on unwritten rules, then in modern society it is based on written norms: instructions, decrees, decrees, laws. Social control has gained institutional support.

Formal control is exercised by such institutions of modern society as the courts, education, the army, industry, the media, political parties, and the government. The school controls thanks to examination marks, the government - with the help of a system of taxation and social assistance to the population. State control is exercised through the police, the secret service, state channels of radio, television and the press.

Control methods depending on the sanctions applied subdivided into:

• soft;
• straight;
• indirect.

These four control methods may overlap.

Examples:

1. The media are among the instruments of indirect soft control.
2. Political repressions, racketeering, organized crime - to tools of direct strict control.
3. The action of the constitution and the criminal code - to the instruments of direct soft control.
4. Economic sanctions of the international community - to the instruments of indirect strict control

	Rigid	Soft
Direct	pancreas	PM
Indirect	QOL	KM

Fig.2. Typology of methods of formal control.

4. Functions of social control

According to A.I. Kravchenko, an important role in strengthening the institutions of society is played by the mechanism of social control. The same elements, namely the system of rules and norms of behavior that fix and standardize the behavior of people, making it predictable, are also included in social institution and in social control. “Social control is one of the most commonly accepted concepts in sociology. It refers to the various means that any society uses to curb its recalcitrant members. No society can do without social control. Even a small group of people randomly gathered together will have to develop their own control mechanisms so as not to fall apart in the shortest possible time.

Thus, A.I. Kravchenko highlights the following functions that performs social control in relation to society:

• protective function;
• stabilizing function.

Description

IN modern world social control is understood as the supervision of human behavior in society in order to prevent conflicts, restore order and maintain the existing social order. The presence of social control is one of the most important conditions for the normal functioning of the state, as well as compliance with its laws. An ideal society is a society in which each of its members does what he wants, but at the same time this is what is expected of him and what the state needs at the moment. Of course, it is not always easy to force a person to do what society wants him to do.