Introduction Society has many ways of regulating social order and controlling social norms among its individuals. One of these techniques of enforcing the rules is sanctions (Keirns, et.al 2015). Sanctions can be further broken down into positive and negative, as well as formal and informal. Positive sanctions are rewards given for conforming to norms whereas negative sanctions are punishments for violating norms (Keirns, et.al 2015). Formal sanctions are ways to officially recognize and enforce norm violations while informal sanctions occur in face-to-face interactions (Keirns, et.al 2015). Social interactions that produce informal sanctions happen on a daily basis and can range from a pat on the back to an angry comment depending on if the
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Recently, I was driven to use an informal negative sanction against another member of society in order to alter their behavior according to norms. This recent interaction occurred at a public place in which face-to-face interaction was used informally to subdue another member of society. I was in a theater and the movie had just started when I was distracted by the woman beside me as she yelled at the rest of her family. Invisible rules in society, such as not raising one’s voice in a movie theater, are a way to bind society together because they are so widely conformed to (Keirns, et.al 2015). Although there are some circumstances in which deviation from these expected behaviors is required, sanctions are often utilized in order to regain the loss of social control in individual situations. Speaking loudly in a public theater during a movie is an example of a primary deviance because even though this is a violation of norms, there are no long-term effects on the individual or her interactions with others (Keirns, et.al 2015). Because the yelling continued for a long period of time, I used an informal negative sanction and asked the woman if she could lower her voice during the movie. My action affected this deviant person’s behavior almost immediately. Her yelling was hushed and my attention was refocused on the
Recently, I was driven to use an informal negative sanction against another member of society in order to alter their behavior according to norms. This recent interaction occurred at a public place in which face-to-face interaction was used informally to subdue another member of society. I was in a theater and the movie had just started when I was distracted by the woman beside me as she yelled at the rest of her family. Invisible rules in society, such as not raising one’s voice in a movie theater, are a way to bind society together because they are so widely conformed to (Keirns, et.al 2015). Although there are some circumstances in which deviation from these expected behaviors is required, sanctions are often utilized in order to regain the loss of social control in individual situations. Speaking loudly in a public theater during a movie is an example of a primary deviance because even though this is a violation of norms, there are no long-term effects on the individual or her interactions with others (Keirns, et.al 2015). Because the yelling continued for a long period of time, I used an informal negative sanction and asked the woman if she could lower her voice during the movie. My action affected this deviant person’s behavior almost immediately. Her yelling was hushed and my attention was refocused on the