Social Norms In Sociology

“Etiquette is all human social behavior. If you’re a hermit on a mountain, you don’t have to worry about etiquette; if somebody comes up the mountain, then you’ve got a problem…” This quote from American journalist, Judith Martin, illustrates the concept that the presence of others creates or inspires expectations. Social norms, or specific cultural expectations for how to behave in a given situation, are practiced throughout various societies and cultures across the planet. People relay on social norms to provide order and predictability in social situations. Social roles are the part people play as members of a social group. With each social role one plays, the behavior changes to fit the expectations both you and others have of that role. It is most common for people to conform to the guidelines provided by the roles we perform. When one does not conform to the social norms, it is considered abnormal behavior. For this assignment, I faced the challenge to disregard expectations of social roles and norms in society.

Norms are rules for behavior that are based on values, made through society. Breaking one of the norms can sometimes make people uncomfortable, or even disgusted. There are general rules that can make a conversation comfortable, based on how well a person knows others that talking in the conversation (“Social Distance”). As I experimented with the disruption of conversational distance, I experienced two completely different reactions. Depending on the level of comfortability, norms can be accepted behavior or can be

Have you ever wondered why we hold the doors for those behind us? How about the reason we use utensils when we eat? What about why we always stand facing the doors in the elevator? These are all examples of what are known as social norms. According to Dr. Ward social norms are “basic rules of society that help people know what is and is not appropriate to do in any situation.” These basic rules of society are usually unwritten and unspoken and many of us pick up on them over time. Although, some social norms are very common throughout many cultures, there is a lot of them that vary depending on which culture you are apart of. For example, here in America, a major social norm that we have is when eating, the polite thing to do is to use spoons and forks, instead of digging in with your hands. For instance, we would not eat spaghetti with our hands but we would use a fork. In some Thiland cultures it is considered rude to put most foods in your mouth with a fork. Then there is also some cultures such as Chile in which it is impolite to use your hands for anything, even foods such as french fries, they use forks while eating.

The five social norms that I am glad exist are the standards of personal space, the expected standard for personal hygiene, the expected standard for manners in public i.e. avoiding belching or flatulating in public areas, the norm of individual choices, and the social norm of education being a standard.

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.

My mother has always told me that certain things should not be done in public. Social norms are opinions and beliefs that are shared amongst a group. Throughout our lives our parents tell us things that aren’t socially acceptable, and that there are consequences for those actions. Those that don’t act in ways that are socially acceptable are isolated from society. Norms help to guide the general public by reinforcing it with a punishment in waiting.

Misfit. Rebel. Troublemaker. These are all names that may be given to people who go against the social norm. According to Andersen, Taylor, and Logio, the authors of Sociology: The Essentials, norms are defined as the specific cultural expectations for how to act in a given situation (2016). When someone disrupts the expectations, they commit a norm violation and may display deviant behavior. Since norms are so automatically built into our everyday lives, the rules of social interaction can be subtle and may be imperceptible to the people who participate in them. Therefore, sociologists often purposefully commit a norm violation in order to study what the rules or norms are. This approach, known as ethnomethodology, interprets society as being

When looking at the American Society, it’s interesting how everything seems to just work and run a certain way. Society is built on a set of social norms that set standards for everyday living. A norm can be defined as a way of thought or action that is acceptable by the majority of society. Individuals might not be sure why exactly they do something, but if everyone else is doing it, then why not? The social norm we’ve decided to break this semester is the idea of only taking what belongs to you. We plan on going to different dining areas on the Northern Illinois campus, and joining tables with complete strangers. While starting a conversation, we will have one girl begin sharing food off of the stranger’s plate and seeing how they react to this unconventional social interaction. Many individuals would not share their food with their friends, let alone total

Each area of a person’s life has a certain social norm to follow; this includes one’s home, school, work, and hanging out with friends. The social norms for an individual’s behavior change as his or her environment changes.

When I began to drive with my mom in the car, I was forced to obey the speed limit. However, after I started to drive on my own, I consistently speeded. Due to the fear of getting a ticket, I typically only travel five miles per hour over the speed limit. Although I do not drastically speed, I become irritated when I get stuck behind a vehicle traveling at or below the speed limit. So, for one of my norm-violations, I will become one of the people who drives the speed limit, and I will determine how others react. Another norm-violation I decided to participate in is walking on the wrong side of the hallway. Even though there is no specific rule or law stating that students are required to walk on the right side of the hallway, everyone walks on the appropriate side and violators of this norm sometimes get run over. Finally, a third norm I will violate is whispering when I talk. There are situations when whispering is appropriate; however, I will be whispering at the lunch table, at home, and in everyday settings where the environment is not quiet. By performing these three norm-violations, I hope to better comprehend why norms such as these exist in society.

What is considered normal in our society, is relative to the location of the culture which the social interaction is taking place. Since the beginning of time, people have been

Harry Patel 9/03/2008 Sociology 101, section 8 Social Norms: Conformity and Deviance One of the norms I broke was talking to someone in a public bathroom, while peeing. It was very ocward talking to the guy next to me. One of the reason I felt ocward talking to him was because, you are not suppose to talk to the guy next to you. While you are doing your business you look at the wall in front of you. When you are done you wash your hands, and leave. No one talks to anyone they don’t know, even if they do know the person next to them they won’t talk to them while they are peeing. No one was taught to do this, you learned by observing. But when the guy next to you starts talking you don’t know how to react. That’s how the guy next to me

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.

The use of an elevator is a common thing. Most Americans use the elevator without incident, and we all know how to behave in one. For example, it is a “norm” that when you get into an elevator, if someone is standing in one corner, you go to the other corner. You do NOT stand right next to them and crowd them when the rest of the elevator is empty. Another norm would be that you face the doors – you do NOT keep your back to the door and stare at the other people in the elevator.

At a very early age, children learn about social norms to help them become proper citizens in society. Examples of some social norms that students learn are: “do not yell in the library,” “do not speak unless spoken to,” “do not talk to strangers,” and “close the door when you use the restroom.” As you grow older, these rules become unspoken because everyone knows how to act like a proper individual in society. The textbook definition of a social norm is something that is a rule of behavior that society accepts. (Bicchieri) Since everyone knows these unsaid rules of society, what would happen when someone decides not to follow these rules? What would people think and react? In this paper, I discuss my violation of the social norm “don’t talk to strangers” and discuss what I learned from this experiment.