Social Norms Research Paper

Alina Lau

Professor Morra

October 15, 2015

Midterm Exam

Essay 1: There are several things that hold a society together otherwise known as norms, sanctions, status, roles, culture and subculture. Society is a self contained and organized group of people who interact under shared political authority within a well defined geographic area.

There are many types of norms in a society that do not essentially reflect society, but also as individuals. Certain behavior etiquette, mannerisms, and behavioral norms have a big influence on our personal social life as well. Society teaches us as a whole how we should act, and then individuals will teach us what behavior they expect from us in exchange. Being educated on what is socially acceptable will

If rules and expectations are not in effect, there would be commotion, whether talking about traffic problems or something serious like criminal issues. Most societies are unchanging, because the people act normal and do what they should be doing. If they do not follow rules and laws, society would not function. There would be no government prosecutions and money would not be valuable because norms would be broken. Theft would be considered adequate and eventually taxes would not be required. Governments would stop working and there would be no community, no structure and no educational system. This would cause trouble and panic. Societal norms are important to the country’s growth and to its citizens. It is to keep everyone safe and to keep the country stable and to have social

It is the rewards or punishments used to enforce norms and to keep people in place. When breaking a sanction, consequences will apply. There are negative and positive sanctions. The negative sanctions are penalties for your conduct regarding a social norm. Sanctions are what happen when people are found to be violating a culture’s shared norms. Such penalties include fines, threats, imprisonment, and stares of contempt. Contrary to that, positive sanctions are rewards for conforming to a social norm. Rewards for being found of conforming to a social norm may include a pay raise, a promotion, a medal or an award and words of praise. The correlation between sanctions and norms are shown in the following examples. For example, you have an interview at one of the biggest financial companies and you show up in a dirty shirt and jeans. The sanction would be you do not get the job and you will be frowned upon. Another example would be you did not put money in your parking meter; the sanction would be you get a parking ticket and have to pay a fine. In general, the more serious the norm, the stricter the penalty is for its violation. There are three types of sanctions such as conscience, ridicule and