Case Study: Social Control, Sanctions, and Community Impact

This assignment presents a case study analyzing social control, focusing on a real-life scenario involving noise pollution and law enforcement. The student recounts an experience where a neighbor violated social norms by playing loud music late at night, leading to intervention from the student, other neighbors, and eventually, the police. The individual was sanctioned with a fine and a warning due to the violation of noise regulations. The assignment examines how the negative sanction, in this case, served as a form of social control, enforcing community standards and deterring future violations. The student reflects on the importance of social control mechanisms in maintaining order and regulating behavior within a community. References to relevant sociological literature on social control are included to support the analysis.

Running head: SOCIAL CONTROL
Social Control
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1SOCIAL CONTROL
When the term “Social Control” is referred to the readers, they get the idea that the
term social control refers to the process by which the behaviour of the individuals as well as
their thoughts and appearances are controlled by the rules and the regulations which have
been inflicted on them by the laws and the societies itself (Ross, 2017). Generally, there are
sanctions or penalties which are available with these social control rules. Positive social
control helps to get praise for the actions taken by the individual while the negative social
control results in the punishments being inflicted on the individuals (Pound, 2017). I also had
such experiences in my life which I am going to narrate in the following paragraphs.
Let me start by saying that the case that I am going to refer to here would fall in the
category of the negative sanctions as the accused was punished for his actions. A year ago, I
was preparing for my semesters. Needless to say, that it was quite late into the night and all
my family members were seeping. I was busy preparing my practical projects when suddenly,
I heard loud music being played in the dead of night. I wondered who it could have been that
was playing music so loudly at that hour of the night. I looked out of my window and found
the music to be coming from a certain room in the apartment opposite to our house. It was
then the fact dawned on me that it was the newly arrived guy – a wannabe D.J. who loves
playing music loud. I must mention in this case that this guy had been warned by the people
of the area. Despite that he did not pay heed to any warnings that were given to him.
I decided to take matters in my hands. I woke my parents and some neighbours of the
area and together we all went to the room of that individual. He was defiant about switching
the music off, saying that it was his profession and he will not stop. Seeing no other option, I
decided to call the police station and complained the matter to them.
As soon as the police arrived at the place, the individual was scared for the
punishment which would be imposed on him by the police. Since the police found the

2SOCIAL CONTROL
individual to be playing music above 90 decibels, he was sanctioned with a hefty fine and
was let go with a final warning of being imprisoned if he continues the same activity again.
The next morning, I got to know that the individual has left the area, never to be seen in the
area again.
While analysing this incident, it can be said that the individual was violating the
social control by playing music loud late at night and hence got a negative sanction on him in
the form of the warning. That is why, it is being said that the social control is important in the
society itself.

3SOCIAL CONTROL
Reference List
Pound, R. (2017). Social control through law. Routledge.
Ross, E. A. (2017). Social control: A survey of the foundations of order. Routledge.