Social control refers to the methods used throughout society to limit deviance (breaking of social norms) and ensure that people conform to society’s rules and regulations. Achieving Social Control Social control is achieved through social, economic, and institutional structures. Any society must have harmony and order. The 'haves' aside from wealth 'have' social influence. Societies cannot function without an agreed-upon and enforced social order that makes daily life and a complex division of labor possible. Social Control is maximized by the following - Unequal distribution of wealth. Where there is no harmony or order the society actually does not exist because society is a harmonious organization of human relationships.
Without it, chaos and confusion would reign. In rural areas folkways, norms, beliefs, customs and traditions are used as means social control, while in modern societies formal agencies like police, army, radio, universities, newspapers are the means. There are two main types of social control; formal and informal. Types of Social Control Some of the types of social control are as follows: 1. Social Control According to Mannheim, social control is the sum of those methods by which a society tries to influence human behavior to maintain a given order.