Social Disapproval

Mechanisms of Social Disapproval

In the absence of, or in concert with, more formal and institutional methods of behavior control (e.g., policing, neighborhood watch programs, after-school activities, detention centers, corporal punishment, and community service sentences), social disapproval acts as a barrier to deviant behaviors. Some suggest that social disapproval, when robust enough, can function efficiently as the sole form of behavior control in a society. The effectiveness of social control depends on the strength of ties between the individual and the peer group. An individual, when weighing the pros and cons of committing some type of deviant behavior, considers how those close to him or her will react. It is the certainty of friends' and family's disapproval that thwarts the intended deviant act. Social disapproval fails to efficiently curb deviant behavior when the individual has little care for what others think, or when the individual maintains no close ties with anyone.

Effective social disapproval is internalized, so that actors are constantly reminded of the threat of disapproval at all times. For example, a middle school student considers throwing a rock through one of the school's windows after hours, but the thought of his favorite teacher's disappointment checks his behavior. A young girl wants to steal a small item of clothing but thinks about how embarrassed she would be if her peer group found out. In both of these examples, the actor is able to see himself or herself as others might and wishes to escape certain disapproval from meaningful groups.

Social disapproval also works to notify an individual of the boundaries of acceptable behavior. For example, if an individual belches loudly in the middle of a religious service, he or she may receive a multitude of angry looks. This informal social display informs the actor that the behavior was considered inappropriate. A high school student might commit a minor act of deviance such as wearing an unpopular brand of jeans and be ridiculed by his or her peers the remainder of the day. The peer group [Page 657]has signaled to the individual the inappropriateness of the brand he or she has worn. Even deviant body types can garner social disapproval, as larger people who squeeze into airplane seats often receive dirty looks or audible sighs of exasperation by their seatmates.

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