Social Control
Definition
The mechanisms, formal and informal, through which societies regulate individual behaviour and secure conformity to norms. Includes criminal law and policing (formal control), and family, school, religion, and community norms (informal control). Travis Hirschi's social bond theory centres on weakened informal control as the driver of delinquency.
- Formal mechanisms
- Criminal law, policing
- Informal mechanisms
- Family, school, religion, community
- Related theory
- Hirschi's social bond theory
- Function
- Securing conformity to social norms
Common questions
Why does Hirschi's theory emphasise informal control over formal control?+
Formal control such as policing only responds after a norm has already been broken and reaches a small share of behaviour. Hirschi argued that informal control, exercised through everyday ties to family, school, and community, does the bulk of the work in restraining behaviour before it ever becomes a matter for the criminal justice system.
Can strong formal social control substitute for weak informal control?+
Not reliably, in the control-theory framework. Formal mechanisms act mainly through deterrence and after-the-fact sanction, while informal mechanisms shape day-to-day conduct through relationships and stake in conventional life, so the two operate on different points of the same process rather than as interchangeable substitutes.
Is social control theory only about explaining juvenile delinquency?+
Hirschi originally formulated and tested the theory on adolescent samples, which is why it is closely associated with delinquency research, but the underlying bond concept has since been applied and tested against adult offending as well.
Related terms
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