Definition of Formal Sanction
(noun) A sanction that is officially recognized by an authority and enforced.
Example of Formal Sanction
Formal Sanction Pronunciation
Syllabification: for·mal sanc·tion
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /fOR-muhl sAngkshUHn/
- British English – /fAWm-uhl sAngkshUHn/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /ˈfɔrməl ˈsæŋkʃən/
- British English – /ˈfɔːməl ˈsæŋkʃən/
Usage Notes
- Plural: formal sanctions
- The terms “formal sanction” and “formal social sanction” are used interchangeably in a sociological context.
- Formal sanctions can be positive or negative.
- Sociologists study four primary types of sanctions:
Related Videos
Additional Information
- Word origin of “formal” and “sanction” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
- Janowitz, Morris. 1991. On Social Organization and Social Control, edited by J. Burk. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
- LaPiere, Richard T. 1954. A Theory of Social Control. New York: McGraw-Hill.
- Melossi, Dario. 1998. The Sociology of Punishment: Socio-structural Perspectives. Brookfield, VT: Ashgate.
- Park, Robert Ezra, and Ralph H. Turner. 1967. On Social Control and Collective Behavior: Selected Papers. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Related Terms
- behavior
- formal education
- formal norm
- formal organization
- informal sanction
- negative sanction
- norm
- positive sanction
- sanction
- socialization
Works Consulted
Andersen, Margaret L., and Howard Francis Taylor. 2011. Sociology: The Essentials. 6th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Brym, Robert J., and John Lie. 2007. Sociology: Your Compass for a New World. 3rd ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Ferrante, Joan. 2011a. Seeing Sociology: An Introduction. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Ferrante, Joan. 2011b. Sociology: A Global Perspective. 7th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Griffiths, Heather, Nathan Keirns, Eric Strayer, Susan Cody-Rydzewski, Gail Scaramuzzo, Tommy Sadler, Sally Vyain, Jeff Bry, Faye Jones. 2016. Introduction to Sociology 2e. Houston, TX: OpenStax.
Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).
Shepard, Jon M. 2010. Sociology. 11th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Shepard, Jon M., and Robert W. Greene. 2003. Sociology and You. New York: Glencoe.
Tischler, Henry L. 2011. Introduction to Sociology. 10th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wiktionary, The Free Dictionary. Wikimedia Foundation. (http://en.wiktionary.org).
Cite the Definition of Formal Sanction
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “formal sanction.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved June 5, 2023 (https://sociologydictionary.org/formal-sanction/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
formal sanction. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/formal-sanction/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “formal sanction.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed June 5, 2023. https://sociologydictionary.org/formal-sanction/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“formal sanction.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 5 Jun. 2023. <https://sociologydictionary.org/formal-sanction/>.