Social Norms Definition

The objective of this paper is to discuss Social Norms and their impact on Social Action. To start, we will be defining what social action is, which Weber says that “Action is “social” insofar as its subjective meaning takes account of the behaviours of others and is thereby oriented in its course.” (Basic Sociological Terms [BST], p. 103). What this simply means is that not all action taken is social, any act that takes the account of how other individuals will react or behave to the action is defined to be social. An example of social action is when telling a joke in a group of friends, the individual says this joke which accounts for the dynamic of the group, its appropriateness, whether the group is the target audience for said joke, and if the delivery is right. A joke that displays the sport of hockey in an ill manner may not be appropriate to a group of people watching the

Stanley Cup finals, but may be more appropriate or funny to a group who do not care for sports. In both cases, the outcome of the action is determined by how those other individuals reacted to the joke, and the ramifications of it become social actions on their own. Each of the participants in the social action each give a meaning, either depending on one actor in particular, or the average meaning of all actors (BST, p. 103), what this tells us is that each person in an interaction gives their own innate contribution to the social situations, whether to make a dumb joke, an intellectual, or an average joke, all depends if all individuals can appreciate the joke in question, if at any moment a joke can offend someone, even in the slightest, the joke is most likely to be forfeited, all because of the innate contribution one actor had in the group’s dynamic. However, it is important to make the distinction between a meaningful action and something that is just a reaction to the action of another person (BST, p.103) so in the event that a friend tells an offensive joke, and if you were to laugh at said joke, that is more of a reaction to the situation being presented to you, but it lacks substance, the social dynamic doesn’t move forward, rather, it stagnates. If you were to ask why they would tell a joke like that and why they would say such a joke, then the interaction can move forward into something more social interaction, from exchanging jokes to the actual discussion on the faults of said joke and how it projects the character of the deliverer. It is important to know that social actions is always done with other individuals, whether they be from the past, present, or future So being rude to a customer because in the past, they never tipped, getting into an argument on politics in the present, or even getting a restraining order to prevent future encounters with an individual (BST, p. 109). Not all action is social either, as Weber says, any action taken on an inanimate object isn’t social, as you aren’t interacting with another individual.

If one were to get mad at their printer because it was failing to do its job and even went so far as to hit it, it would be overt action by all means, but as this behaviour is taken to an object, it is not social (BST. p. 109). There are four types of social action that Weber mentions, instrumental-rational which is the way one is expected to act around their surroundings and other people, so if an individual is at a gym and gets angry at another person, it is expected of them to not throw the weights to another person and resolve the matter through other means. Value-rational which is something that’s done for its own sake rather than an outside-goal, so giving change to a homeless person despite there being absolutely no return on the investment, it is done for the sake of being good. Affectual which is deals with a particular actor’s emotions and feelings, and finally traditional, which is just action that’s done habitually (BST, p.

110).

What are Social Norms? Social norms are rules on how we should behave, and are generally accepted etiquette to follow in a group of people or even an entire society. These social norms are not enforced by law or authority however, as they are more like guidelines on how to act in a social situation. Individuals who do not want to follow these rules can be shunned away from their peers or face the ramifications of their refusal to conform to these norms. Social norms are not set in stone however, as they are modified over time and depend on culture. Some examples of social norms include shaking hands when meet someone, being polite by saying please and thank you, being well mannered, and respecting your elders. Social norms can be seen more as a contract that is made among individuals