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Approval and disapproval can shape behaviour without a written penalty.
Informal sanctions are social responses that encourage or discourage behaviour outside a formal system of rules. Praise, a disapproving look or being left out of a conversation can communicate what a group expects.
They are often subtle because the expectation is taken for granted. Noticing them helps make unwritten norms visible. The same action may draw approval in one setting and disapproval in another, so the reaction tells us about the group and situation as well as the behaviour.
A newcomer speaks over several people at a meeting. Others stop responding warmly, even though no written rule or official penalty has been invoked.
Describing a social norm does not mean endorsing it; informal pressure can also enforce unfair expectations.
Introduction to Sociology 3e — Deviance and Control
OpenStax contributors · OpenStax, Rice University
CC BY 4.0. Rewritten as a self-contained explanation; the example and reflection are Vakataka additions. No source images reproduced.
Source edition: 2024-08-29T14:10:53Z
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