Observing People's Behavior at a Fitness Center

The first concept I would like to talk about is norms. Norms are different rules, whether they are spoken or assumed, about which kinds of behaviors are acceptable in a culture and which ones aren’t acceptable. As an example I would like to use the Disney movie Pocahontas. A clear example of a norm from this movie is the scene where Pocahontas has disobeyed her father by talking to the white man (aka John Smith). Disobedience was something you did not do in her village. The father was in charge of the family and the rest of the family was expected to listen. Another norm for her culture was to take care of the village and everyone in it. Their culture wasn’t all about fun and adventure. They made sure their top priority was the life and ease of everyone in the village. Norms can also change. There is a scene where the chief, Powhatan, tells the village that no one is allowed

Gym membership numbers have increased considerably over the past 10 years, rising from 36.3 million in 2002 to more than 42.8 million by 2011. This trend has resulted in soaring demand for fitness activities, and industry operators have capitalized on this growth by expanding establishments in size and number.

The social conventions of one region can differ throughout the world, this culture affects how we live and requires us to conform to the norms of the society we live in.

Culture is what we make of it. The way we live in our country or in our own city can differ from others; the way we eat, what we eat, how we talk, how we act, ect… (Henslin, 2013) In every culture there are social norms, or unwritten rules that people in a culture comply with. To break a social norm would be considered deviant; to defy the way everyone else does something. (Henslin, 2013) To begin my research I decided to head to a local hot spot.

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

In sociology, when we discuss culture (which is the totality of learned socially transmitted customs, knowledge, material objects, and behavior (Schaefer 2010:50)), we discuss how culture includes such things as; language, beliefs, values and norms. When sociologists studied culture they mainly looked upon the norms of society. Norms are "the agreed-upon expectations and rules by which a culture guides the members in any given situation"(Cultural Norms). There are four types of norms; folkways, mores, taboo, and laws. Although it is important to know that norms vary across the world and two examples of how norms differ around the world would be in America and Japan.

Culture is defined as a set of norms inherited within the group of people that provides guidelines on the behaviour, the relationship with the

While I understand Artisan on 18th's promotional needs to showcase the gym, I find the lack of privacy creates an uncomfortable environmental standard, similar to that of a fish bowl.

Gyms employ a number of methods to further most peoples’ lack of desire to work out. The front room(s) of a gym are usually elegant and almost hotel-like, with a marble reception desk and spotless floors. There may be some

“click”, “BAHHHHHH” ,“HELP!”, all of these sounds are just as common in the gym as the clanking of weights. The snap of a picture, the yelling of a powerlifter, and the call for help from an inexperienced lifter are all heard within the first few seconds of stepping into a crowded gym. Some people believe that a gym is nothing more than a dirty room full of girls trying to get in shape, sweaty meatheads, and a variety of other stereotypes such as “tornadoes” (people who leave the weights messy) and “accessorist” (someone who spends more on their accessories than their gym membership). Believe it or not, there are a decent amount of truths behind these stereotypes and there are an unlimited number of different types of people you encounter at the gym. Part of the joy in going to the gym is the

For the long time strategy the gym should adopt “wait and see” as it has to evaluate the effect of competition on their customer base.

The weight room itself is a very nice big open room which is surrounded by treadmills, weights that range from 1-100 pounds. Ski machines, bench press machines, sit up benches, curling bars and other machines that makes it a very nice place for people to work out while above them is a T.V screen maybe about the size of 20 inches where people watch sports, the discovery channel, or anything else that may please the people to make it a more enjoyable work out. It seems as if the weight room evolves around an age group of all sorts. People within the ages of 15 to 70 years old, perhaps even older come to this weight room to work out and increase their health. It seems not to only be a health

The machinery that aims to build muscle in gym members is only building “gymtimdiation” that in turn is driving members away. Anxious feelings stem from the confusion of how to use gym equipment combined with a fear of asking how to do so. People tend to dread appearing unknowledgeable or inexperienced at the gym, and this fear, commonly called “gymtimidation”, causes people to stay at home or not exercise to their full potential. The diagrams of instructions on equipment are vague, rudimentary, and unhelpful to new gym members wanting to use the devices. Simple diagrams on workout machinery tend to create apprehension in gym members who are inexperienced with workout equipment, while the gym creates assumptions about their product such as: the customers will read the labels, the diagrams are easy to read, people are not intimidated asking for help, and that they offer a satisfying workout experience.

What may have been the norm for one may not be the norm to another, especially when it comes to the cultures of foreign lands.   Cultural norms often are so strongly ingrained in an individual's daily life that the individual may be unaware of certain behaviors. Until these behaviors are seen in the context of a different culture with different values and beliefs, the

The article aimed to discuss different types of exercise and how people’s motivation and body image is influenced by the environment in the gym. The study was from 571 female gym members and ranged from 18 to 71 years. First, the studies focus on the relationships between different types of exercise within the gym and body esteem. Second, it studied in the factors influencing whether women go to the gym.