Essay - social norms - 1500 words PDF

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20119876 Melis salih

What are social norms? How do they shape behaviour? Give examples from everyday life. Social norms are referred to as the unwritten rules of behaviour that are deemed to be expected by a group or society as they are known to keep society functioning. Our day-to-day behaviour is influenced by social norms that are developed overtime as they function to provide order and predictability in society. These norms influence and encourage individuals to act and behave a certain way to enable them to fit into the ‘criteria’ that society has created, those who do not follow the norms will suffer disapproval and judgement (Gilson, 2020). These social norms such as the way you are expected to act can restrict individuals to freely express themselves, as it encourages individuals to act and behaviour in certain ways according to the environment, situation and culture.

Social norms can be formed by different groups for many different reasons, for example, cultural norms. Cultural norms are different standards of behaviour that are developed according to each culture. Each cultural adapts to different social norms, which individuals tend to follow as they fear of appearing different. Generally, social norms are harmless and just a way of life. However, some can be deemed harmful and cruel. For example, in the 10th century, for about a thousand years, girls in china were having their foot broken and binded (Bony 2020). Girls between the ages of 4 and 6 would have their feet bounded tightly, with increasingly tight wrapping. This social norm involved the process of purposefully breaking the bones of the toe and other bones in the foot, whiling curling the broken toes underneath, to create the foot to look more like a hoof. This was done by either the mother of the girl or a woman

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chosen by the mother. Even though this process was extremely painful, it was seen to be a norm within the chine’s cultural, therefore it was expected by every chines girl to endure through this process. Leading to infections later on in life which caused many death (Bony 2020). This conveys how a cultural norm such as foot binding negatively impacted behaviours which lead to many deaths, however was still continued for a thousand years as it was an expectation from the chine’s community (Bony 2020). However, not all cultural norms are seen to be curial. Some cultural norms may be simple as, for example, Americans value eye contact when having a conversation, however many Asian culture consider eye contact as being rude. This conveys how simple things may vary within culture which individuals are expected to adjust their behaviour according to the situation and environment their surrounded in (Lin 2016). Socials norms are can be identified as different types such as taboo, folkway, more and law. These different types of norm violations vary from an extreme negative judgement, to a not so bad view. Taboo is seen to be a strong negative norm, breaching it results in extreme disgust and even expulsion from the group or society, as it’s certain behaviour that is seen to be horrendous. For example, drug addiction, incest and prostitution. These types of behaviour are seen to be a taboo violation as the community views it as disgusting behaviour. This shapes the behaviour of individuals as it helps prevent them from acting in such way. Another example of taboo is the Muslims culture eating pig, this is seen to be a disgusting violation of the religion as pigs are considered an unclean animal. Those who violate this taboo, is expected to be harshly judge by the rest of the community. This conveys that when someone violates and behaviours in a way that isn’t culturally accepted, they are

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bound to be negatively looked down upon. This shapes the behaviour of one as it encourages them to act according to their cultural expectations (Wilson 2016).

In addition, folkways ‘are norms that stem from and organize casual interactions, and emerge out of repetition and routines’ (Wilson 2016). Folkways help society to be satisfied in daily needs and tend to unconsciously follow them as they help society function. For example, as practiced in many societies’ simple things such as, standing in line when buying an item. This helps bring order to society when buying something as it allows daily tasks to be performed easily. Other examples of folkway include, appropriate dress, raising your hand when you want to talk in a group and tone of voice when speaking to someone. When these norms are violated, they are seen to be rude and offensive actions, however, these norms are rarely violated due to the amount of social pressure, as it encourages individuals to act and interact in the ways that are deemed appropriate. Folkway norms are expressed through every day life and are done unconsciously, therefore shapes one’s behaviour to help society function. However, they do not have moral significance and rarely serious consequences as people tend to follow them regularly.

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Furthermore, social norms also include more which are stricter than folkways. Mores are what are considered to be moral and ethical behaviour as they are used to structure the difference between what is right and what is wrong. If mores are violated, society generally views the individual negatively. This is due to mores being seen as very important as it shapes individuals’ values, beliefs, behaviour and interactions. For example, many religions believe that living with your partner before marriage is prohibited. Therefore, if an individual from a strict religious family decided to live with their boyfriend/girlfriend, their family, friends and relative will judge and view their behaviour as being immoral (Wilson 2016). They will also make them feel ashamed by expressing hateful things which may include threatening judgement in the afterlife or scolding them. This example of More and the punishments indicated that this sort of behaviour is immoral and not acceptable. This social norm is designed to change individual’s behaviour according to their morals and values, as if they don’t, they will be judged by family, friends and relatives (Wilson 2016). In addition, social norms have influenced and caused stereotypes over time which have developed an expectation for not only cultural norms but also gender norms. Society has created an expectation of certain norms that express the idea that individuals should act based solely on whether they are born male or female (Smith 2018). Social norms have created a stereotype about gender, this has steered individuals to behaviour and think in certain ways, minimizing a degree of freedom in society. The idea about gender roles have always existed, and have been passed down to the next generation. This norm has then been modified to create a new imagine to meet societies new perception of what they view the behaviour of a male or female should be. For example, in the late 1900s women were traditionally seen to ‘belong in the kitchen’, and viewed as a second-class citizen. While men were

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seen to be the ‘bread winners.’ Although these expectations and norms still exist, they have become more fluid and less rigidly defined, however, men and women are still pressured to conform to many preconceived ideas of what is considered gender appropriate behaviour (Smith 2018).While examples have changed overtime as society is starting to become more understanding, there are still many negative perceptions of gender roles in the community. These examples range from simple things such as, girls wear pink and boy’s wear blue, to an extreme sense of girls being discriminated in the workplace. As stated in Discrimination Know (2020) ‘In the past, qualified female employees have often been prevented from advancing to management positions in companies because of their gender.’ This conveys the effect of social norms has had on the behaviour of the boss as it has caused him to discriminate her due to her gender. Social norms are inherited into every day life, whether they are consciously or unconsciously performed. It is evident that they have been developed over time, enabling a better function of society. Individuals are expected to adjust their behaviour according to their environment, situation and culture. As if they don’t, according to the norm they have violated, punishments may be implemented. Although some norms such as foot binding and gender expectations may be negative, most norms are developed for the better function of society, such as folkway norms. These social norms shape individuals behave as it is encouraged to act in such way to enable individual fit into a ‘criteria’ that society has created and deems appropriate.

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Reference list: Bony, m., 2020. Social Norms, Moral Judgments, And Irrational Parenting. [online] Psychology Today. Available at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/freedomlearn/201703/social-norms-moral-judgments-and-irrational-parenting [Accessed 6 May 2020].

Gilson, e., 2020. Social Norm Examples. [online] Examples.yourdictionary.com. Available at: https://examples.yourdictionary.com/social-norm-examples.html [Accessed 6 May 2020].

Know, D., 2020. Discrimination Against Women In Workplace:Everything To Know. [online] UpCounsel. Available at: https://www.upcounsel.com/discrimination-againstwomen-in-the-workplace [Accessed 5 May 2020].

Lin, A., 2016. What Are Examples Of Cultural Norms?. [online] Reference. Available at: https://www.reference.com/world-view/examples-cultural-norms6c148fa1acbdf57b [Accessed 7 May 2020].

Smith, j., 2018. EFFECTS OF GENDER NORMS. [online] EFFECTS OF GENDER NORMS. Available at: https://www.gender-norms.com/ [Accessed 5 May 2020].

Wilson, J., 2016. What Are The Differences Between Folkways, Mores, Taboos, And Laws? [online] ThoughtCo. Available at: https://www.thoughtco.com/folkways-morestaboos-and-laws-3026267 [Accessed 7 May 2020]....