Ways of rewarding or punishing acceptable or unacceptable behavior, but usually used in the sense of punishment (negative).

• A. Secondary Socialization
• B. Sanctions
• C. Social Control
• D. Role

Answer: (B)

Sanctions are the tools societies use to enforce norms by rewarding acceptable behavior and punishing unacceptable behavior. In everyday terms, sanctions are often thought of as punishment—the negative side—such as fines, detention, or disapproval. But they can also be positive, like praise, prizes, or privileges, which encourage people to conform.

These measures come in two forms. Formal sanctions are official responses from institutions—schools, employers, the legal system—while informal sanctions are everyday reactions from family, friends, or peers, such as smiles, praise, or social exclusion. This helps explain how norms are reinforced in daily life as well as through formal rules.

The broader idea here is social control, which covers all the ways society maintains order, including sanctions, laws, norms, and institutions. A role is simply a set of expected behaviors tied to a social position, not a method of enforcing behavior. Secondary socialization refers to learning norms after the initial family-based socialization, not the mechanisms used to punish or reward behavior.

So, the statement describes how norms are reinforced through rewards and punishments—making sanctions the most precise fit.