TIOBE - Java Coding Standard

Rule: Design27

Synopsis:	Use block level rather than method level synchronization
Language:	Java
Severity Level:	3
Category:	Design

Description:

Method level synchronization can backfire when new code is added to the method. Block-level synchronization helps to ensure that only the code that needs synchronization gets it.

public class Foo {
 // Try to avoid this
 synchronized void foo() {
 }
 // Prefer this:
 void bar() {
  synchronized(this) {
  }
 }
}