Explanation
Informal social control describes the everyday processes through which social behavior is regulated without formal legal institutions such as police, courts, or prisons. It operates through social expectations, peer pressure, family influence, neighborhood supervision, shame, approval, and informal sanctions.
Strong informal social control can discourage deviance by increasing social cohesion, mutual trust, and collective responsibility within communities.
In criminology, the concept is especially important for:
- Social Disorganization Theory,
- Collective Efficacy Theory,
- community criminology,
- Broken Windows Theory,
- and urban sociology.
Research by Robert J. Sampson emphasized that neighborhoods with strong social networks and collective efficacy are often better able to maintain informal social control and reduce crime.
Theoretical Reference
Informal social control is associated with social disorganization theory, collective efficacy, urban sociology, and theories of community cohesion and social regulation.