Explore how the fear of fear and shame (informal controls) have prevented you from breaking a social norm?
I think that the idea of informal controls work much better as a deterrent for me because I have a fear of being shunned or left out from society. The fear of being shamed or seen as different has deterred me from not only committing crimes but also breaking social norms. I don’t really dress or express myself the way I would like to out of the fear of looking “different” or “strange”, even though it is something that would bring me joy. Also, the fear of rejection prevents me from just going up to people I see and starting a conversation. It’s not really socially acceptable to just walk up to someone you don’t know and talk to them, but if this was more socially acceptable and didn’t pose the risk of rejection I would be more inclined to do so.
