ABSTRACT
Because rule breaking requires rule making, sociologists have studied history to learn how definitions of deviance develop. These studies suggest that what is defined as deviant is often the outcome of political processes. Vagrancy laws also illustrate the sociology of rule-making. When rural landowners were the dominant group in medieval England, vagrancy laws were widely used to maintain a cheap supply of agricultural labor. Social control refers to all social processes used to minimize deviance from social norms. These processes can be divided into indirect and direct social control. Indirect control is regulation through ideological or cultural influences. Socialization can never entirely eliminate deviance, however. Therefore, direct control, or sanctions, are also necessary to ensure social conformity. Sanctions consist of rewards for conforming behavior and punishments for nonconforming behavior. Although formal sanctions are less widely used than informal sanctions, it is clear that they are more widely used in the United States than in other societies.
