Social Norms In The United States

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Social norms set a standard for behavior and can influence the behaviors and actions of people in different social situations. Social norms differ from one culture to the next, and they can be modified over an extended period of time. Social norms can also change based on the subcultures of people and their location (GoodTherapy). With social norms come different types of subcultures as well as sanctions and consequences to go along with them. There are many types of social norms that exist in the United States. Some examples of public social norms in the United States would be shaking hands when meeting someone and keeping eye contact when speaking with someone; stopping at stop signs or red lights, and going when the light is green or when it is the person’s right-of-way; and being punctual. There are also social norms that people follow in the classrooms such as not listening to music while the teacher is speaking, not being on a digital or mobile device, and coming to class with the necessary items (books, pens/pencils, notebooks, etc.) (YourDictionary). People in the United States also have the social culture of being informal (dress, actions, etc.) and individualistic. …show more content…

This is a very prominent social norm. Many Americans tend to view themselves as their own person before they associate themselves with their family or the United States. From a young age, children are taught that individuality is extremely important as long as he or she does not defy any social norms. Numerous adult Americans believe that being unique and having different abilities can improve the country. In many countries, American individualism is viewed as ill-mannered, although American individualism is not as it always seems

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