Social Norms Research Paper

Norms are the ways of which commands and expectations are carried out, when someone expresses themself, it goes according to the rules that society sets on what is standard. Norms guide our numerous interactions on an everyday basis, and are what glues society together. They keep social stability; otherwise any person can do what he or she wants without any consequences. Norms give order and standardize the behavior of a society, as well as make up it’s social class, which ranks people together according to how much property, power, and prestige one has. They are tremendously important to a culture because people have a desire to fit in, and social norms allow this appeal to be accomplished, therefore, knowing what is socially acceptable will give people a far better chance at thriving socially and communicating ideas. Social norms are “the unplanned, unexpected result of individuals' interactions” (Bicchieri pg. 2, 2011). This means norms make up are what is considered ordinary in a society based on our everyday actions
These norms are ways that a culture guides people in how to act in any situation. To understand a culture, you must recognize how important values are to the whole culture. These values are the base of norms, which in turn are the foundation for folkways and mores, and eventually laws. When someone is exposed to an unfamiliar culture, culture shock occurs, where a person feels out of place because the norms that society has can be different from the norms that another society has. Norms can be different in any society and are constantly changing. People react strongly when someone breaks a norm that usually results in disapproval because of the moral importance and value that is upheld in norms.
Different norms...

... middle of paper ...

... the outcast. No one wants to feel like they are on the outside from everyone, and that sense of acceptance gives people a reason to fit in, so they can be included with the crowd and not shunned out. When people do follow norms, they receive positive sanctions, when deviance occurs then people receive negative sanctions. This social control encourages people to follow social norms because people want to be rewarded and not punished, and positive and negative sanctions enforce these desires. “The man who has done his duty finds, in the manifestations of every sort expressing the sympathy, esteem or affection which his fellows have for him, a feeling of comfort” (Durkheim pg. 242, 1915). In other words, people are not entirely motivated to follow what is normal: people’s reactions do matter. People will do what others expect them to because it is part of our nature.