Norms, Morals, Values, And Behavioral Expectations

In our society we have a number of society norms that we abide by. For example, there is an unwritten rule of how one should behave in an elevator. For example, it is proper to face front, stand away from strangers, and not to look at others. When a social norm is broken people may respond with alarm, humor, fear, irritation, or an array of other emotions. When you think of a norm, you are probably thinking about being normal. But in psychology terms, norm means, a standard or representative value for a group. The norm that is more common to people is a social norm. Meaning expectations about what behavior, thoughts, or feelings are appropriate within a given group within a given context.

Norms are behaviors or rules that set forth what is expected of us as people and as a society.

Norm violations are a form of actions that do not seem right to some people. Let’s say that you are in a public place, you are expected to act respectful and normal. Norms describes the expectation of a behavior. (James M. Henslin) One can perform a norm violation by doing the opposite of that, like invading personal space. There can be different reactions to violated norms which sociologists call sanctions. (Henslin) Mores, folkways, and values revolve around norms as well.

In our society we have a number of norms that we abide by. For example, there is an unwritten rule of how one should behave in an elevator. It is “proper” to face front, stand away from strangers, and not to look at others. When a social norm is broken people may respond with alarm, humour, fear, irritation, or an array of other emotions. When you think of a norm, you are probably thinking about simply being normal. But in psychology terms, norm means a standard or representative value for a group. A social norm is some sort of an expectation that our society has that is deemed normal by that society; they tell us which behaviors, thoughts, or feelings are appropriate within a given

Whether one realizes it or not, the world we live in is governed by certain expectations and unwritten rules that our society creates. These expected behaviors are called norms. When one establishes the role that they play in society, they are governed by the expectations that society places on that specific role. Norms give order to a society, but is that enough to say that they are good for citizens? Are these norms needed to govern our behavior in a way that our government cannot? Social norms and the effect that they can have on a person or group of people is shown through Shakespeare's The Tempest. The characters in The Tempest are negatively affected by the unwritten social norms that they are expected to follow, and today these

To understand why we have a sense of conformity, we must first understand value. “Values are used to learn people’s culture, ideas, and what they want out of life (Henslin 49). Every culture has similar and different values. “Norms are the expectations a group develops concerning the ‘right’ way to reflects its values” (Henslin49). An example of a norm would be personal space and speaking quietly in certain places such as a library. When norms are violated people often begin to question the person’s sanity and well-being based on how extreme the norm violation was.

Norms are “how values tell us to behave” (Conley, 2017, pg. 90). They are like rules or guideline to what kind of behavior is acceptable. Norms can be informal or formal. Informal norms are unspoken for example, as I observed my surroundings I saw children taking turns going down the slide. I also saw families standing in line getting Pretzels. These are norms that are not written down but we learn them when we are young. Informal norms are viewed as what is right verses what is rude. Formal norms are written down like laws.

In a public setting and in society in general, there are certain rules that are followed unconsciously by people. People are unaware most times that they control and manipulate their behavior to fit into a certain societal setting. While it is perfectly normal to sing along and dance to music in the privacy of the home, it is frowned upon to do such behavior in public. These rules that people tend to follow unconsciously and consciously are referred to as social norms. Social norms vary from culture to culture. In some cultures, like Japan, slurping food is a sign of enjoyment and is welcomed in a public and private setting. However, in America and other societies, slurping food or eating with your mouth open is completely unacceptable. Norms can be broken down into four categories: folkways, mores, taboos, and laws. The social norm that my partner and I chose to breach was a folkway norm. Folkway norms are behaviors that society deems as acceptable and unacceptable behavior such as manners and etiquette. Breaking a folkway brings no serious consequences like breaking a law. In our experiment, we decided to violate dining etiquette. Ashely and I realized that it is perfectly acceptable to consume food on the ground if it is at a park or the privacy of the home and even when most people are participating in the same behavior. It is, however, strange and unusual to see people dining as if in a picnic in a public setting where furniture, such as tables and chairs are offered.

In every society there are a set of norms everyone is expected to follow. These can be as simple as smiling when making eye contact or as complex as the norms involved with eating a formal dinner. No matter how seemingly insignificant norms help to run society; it is what is expected and helps people to find comfort in knowing what will happen. Yet, sometimes these norms are challenged. Not every person will always follow social norms.

Social conventions are unwritten rules in society that are treated as the norm and as such, can be misinterpreted as the right thing to do, making them very hard to oppose. However, in truth, following social norms is not always the correct thing to do. Budge Wilson’s short

There are these things in sociology called social norms. From the class lecture, social norms are defined as shared expectations or unwritten rules of society. What is odd about social norms is that they are not typically taught to us. An example of a social norm would be how I act on an elevator. I thought back to the last time I got onto an elevator alone. I was at the doctor’s office and at first I was the only one on the elevator, which is ideal. However, on the third floor the elevator stopped to let other people on. I, myself, gave a soft smile to the people getting on, then immediately looked down at my phone. The 3 other people on the elevator either did the exact same thing or just looked straight forward. I then noticed where everyone stood in the elevator. Everyone kept a fair amount of space between one another and stayed to the sides of elevator as much as possible. Once we reached our floor number everyone exited without saying a word. The way we all behaved is the social norm, it is expected, common behavior. No one was taught in school or by their parents the proper way to act on an elevator, we all just know.

In society, today most people live by what we call “social norms” a representation of an individual’s own basic knowledge of what others do and what they think they should do; some follow suite and some don’t. We are all living in a world where everyone has different opinions and judgments. Also, every one of us has a different perspective of the world and what we know is merely based on our own experiences. One only adapts to what they are familiar with and at times you tend to lose out because they’re reluctant of change so we resort back to our norm of life. We are prisoners of our own ability and we are subject to the social patterns we live in.

In this paper I’m writing about a violation i witness, and one norm violation i committed myself. Before I did this I had to figure what a norm was. “Norms are reality expectations and the right behavior” (Aiken, 1991, p.121). Avoiding a norm violation is to go against the right behavior that you shouldn’t commit if it isn’t the right thing to do. There are many types of norm violations you can break. Mores are the “Norms are very strict to enforce because they are thought different essential to the core values of the group” (Aiken, 1991, p. 132). A folkway is a “norm that isn’t as strict and enforced as mores or values” (Aiken, 1991, p. 136). Norms aren’t the same everywhere, because behaviors that might be legal to do in the United States can be illegal in other countries and they can get offended if you disrespect them. Cultures are a very big thing when it comes to being respectful and disrespectful when it comes to a perspective of behavior. This is due to different type of cultural systems because in the United States we will accept some norm violations but in another country they might find it offensive. Values are considering standards in which people define what is desirable, and undesirable, and also good, or evil, and gorgeous from hideous. When people accept our values in the right behavior, that’s when we approach them with a smile and a handshake, or even better we can approach them with a present. When norms are violated we become angry and disappointed, so

Norms are the expectations, or rules of behavior that develop to reflect and enforce values. A norm violation is when a person goes against a certain way that culture and society expects one to act. When going against the norm it means that you are doing something that is not acceptable to one’s society or their culture. Normative behavior is expected to be in every culture. For example, in our society men and women have the freedom to wear whatever they please, we are allowed to show our legs, arms, feet etc. because its an expression of who we are and what we like. In the Muslim culture when a women reaches puberty no part of her body should remain uncovered except the face and the hand up to the wrist joint. If the Muslim woman wore shorts and a t-shirt it would be considered a violation of a norm. But because this violation differs from our American Society it wouldn’t be considered weird or strange to wear shorts and a tee.

Norms are essentially unspoken rules of conduct given by society. These vary and evolve not only through time but also vary from one age group to another and between social classes and social groups. (Becker) It is important to understand how norms dictate our society because breaking any norms can lead to a negative sanctions Sanctions are punishments or rewards one receive when you either abide by a norm or violate it. (Carl, 54) Different types of norms call for different level of sanctions. There are three different types or levels of norms: folkways, mores, and taboos. Folkways are informal norms when violate have lax consequence. An example is picking your nose in class. While it seen as un-hygienic, the sanction for this violation is less severe. The next level of norm is mores. Mores have a much greater value attached to it. Mores distinguish the difference between right and wrong, while folkways draw a line