The Legal Threat as an Instrument of Social Change

Abstract

Noting that it is important to distinguish threats aimed at shoring up existing norms from those that seek to change customary patterns of behavior, the article discusses a number of conditions influencing the outcome of threats that attempt to produce social change. Among the factors considered are variations in the type of custom, the rationale for change, the social characteristics of the threatened audience, and the extent of law enforcement. The implications of these factors for socializing change are presented.