Social Norms Essay PDF

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1 What are social norms? How do they shape behaviour? Give examples from everyday life. Social norms are unwritten rules of behaviour, which are considered to be expected by a group or society because they are known to ensure the working of society. (McCormack et. al.'s 2018) Our daily actions are influenced by the social norms that broaden overtime as they provide order and prediction in society. These norms encourage people to work and behave in certain ways and to meet the "standards" set by society. Those who do not follow these norms will suffer rejection and condemnation. (Gilson, 2020). Social norms can be acquired by different groups for many different reasons, such as cultural norms. Cultural standards are different behavioural standards depending on the culture. Every culture adopts different social norms which individuals adopt because they fear that they will look different and most of the time it is a long-standing tradition that needs to be upheld and continued. In general, social norms are harmless and only lifestyle. However, some are

considered destructive and harsh. For example, in the 10

th

century, for about a thousand years,

girls in China were having their feet broken and moulded into the shape of a ‘lotus’ to make smaller. Having big feet was considered unattractive therefore, to get a husband and be considered attractive you needed a smaller than usual foot. They do this by bounding their feet tightly with bandages, and increasingly tighten the wrapping. Even though this process was extremely painful, it was seen to be a norm within the Chinese culture, therefore it was expected by every Chinese girl to endure this process (Smith. T 2018). This can lead to infection, as health care conditions were low in ancient times, toes were easily infected and rotted due to being in the wrapping for extended periods of time. (Jiang. F 2019). Cultural norms such as foot binding in the Chinese has been around for thousands of years and is an expectation (Malchik, A.

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2 2020). However, not all cultural norms are seen to be cruel. Some cultural norms may be simple as, for example, Muslims and those of Islamic culture have Ramadan. This is meant to be their most holy month where they fast and understand what it’s like for those less fortunate. It explains how simple things can vary within a culture that people can adjust their behaviour according to circumstances and environments. (Ross. R 2018).

Over time, social norms have provoked and influenced stereotypes that have evolved the expectations not only of cultural norms but also of gender norms. Society has established an expectation of certain standards that covey the idea that individuals should only act on whether they were born male or female. (Planned Parenthood 2020). Social norms regarding gender stereotypes have all been prevalent and individuals have been forced to behave and think in a certain way, which means not much freedom for society. These gender stereotypes have always been around unfortunately they continue. This norm was modified to create a new imagination that responded to a new perception in societies of what they see as male or female behaviour. For example, for hundreds the stereotype of ‘women should be in the kitchen and they should do all the house work’ still exists. I know that in the Arabic/Middle Eastern this still a prominent stereotype that needs to be changed. Over in the “Men and women are still pressured to conform to many preconceived ideas of what is considered gender appropriate behaviour” (Koenig, A.M. 2018). While this has changed overtime as society is starting to become more understanding, there are still many negative perceptions of gender roles in the community. An example of this change, in 2018 Saudi Arabia granted women the right to drive (Specia, M. 2019). This was only 3 years ago making modern and in our time and it is crazy to see that it still goes on and change still needs to be made. All stereotypes aren’t bad. For example, it is a common stereotype that

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3 “women have a natural motherly instinct” (Youell, J. 2021). These examples show the difference between men and women as in some countries men are given more freedom and opportunity however, we can also see that stereotype don’t necessarily have to be a bad thing. As stated by Coury, S (et. al. 2020) ‘In the past, qualified female employees have often been prevented from advancing to management positions in companies because of their gender.’ This shows the effect of social norms as the boss has discriminated against simply because she is a women, no other reason.

There are different types of social norms such as taboos, folkways, mores and laws. These types of norms can either have a dire punishment and judgment attached or a not so bad view. Crossman. A (2019) states that “a taboo is a very strong negative norm; it is a prohibition of certain behaviour that is so strict that violating it results in extreme disgust and even expulsion from the group or society”. For example, drug addiction, alcoholism, incest, stripping and prostitution. The community views these behaviours as not normal, wrong and disgusting making it a taboo. This has been able to mould people’s behaviour from presenting themselves/acting in a certain way. Another example of taboo is in the Muslim culture/faith that eating pig is seen as violation of the religion as pigs are considered an ‘unclean animal’, therefore a taboo. Those who violate these taboos will defiantly be judged, looked at differently and sometimes cut out. Taboos help to shape ones’ behaviour has it promotes them to behave in a certain according to their cultural expectations and keep those alive. (Crossman. A 2016).

Sociologist William Graham Sumner wrote in his book that, “folkways are norms that stem from and organize casual interactions, and emerge out of repetition and routines”. (Crossman. A 2020).

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4 Folkways are followed by society unconsciously and it satisfies daily needs. For example, when attending a funeral, it is not a law that you must wear black but out of respect that it was the attire is. You wouldn’t come to a funeral in bright colours or exposed clothing. Wearing bright clothing or clothing that exposes yourself is against of most societies views as right and wrong. (Sanchez, S. 2019). This is helps regulate society as it is not a stated rule or law but what society considers to be right or wrong. Other examples of folkway include, chewing with your mouth open or loudly, burping or not waiting for everyone to sit at the table before eating. “this may not be disrespectful in all cultures, and it is very subjective” (Sanchez, S. 2019). These norms are considered rude and abusive when violated although, are rarely gone against due to the amount of peer pressure as it encourages people to act and interact as they see fit. Folkway norms are expressed in everyday life and are unknowingly implemented. Therefore, behaviour is designed for society to function. However, because people tend to follow them on a regular basis, they have no moral significance and rarely have serious consequences.

Furthermore, social norms also include mores which are stricter than folkways. According to Sanchez, S. (2019) “mores are norms of morality, or right and wrong, and if you break one it is often considered offensive to most people of a culture. Sometimes a more violation can also be illegal, but other times it can just be offensive. If a more is not written down in legislation, it cannot get sanctioned by the criminal justice system. Other times it can be both illegal and morally wrong. Mores shape individuals’ values, beliefs, behaviour and interactions. For example, many religions believe that having a child or having sex before getting married is not accepted. Therefore, if someone in those religious was does this they will be scrutinised by their family members. (Sumner. G. W (2014). It will also be made clear their view and judgement

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5 towards you. You may be judged unknowingly however, most of the time you can be embarrassed and judged in front of your peers. This example of More is considered unacceptable and you will be punished. Mores is the type of social norms where it forces you to change your attitude regarding their beliefs, values and morals. You can receive severe punishment if you don’t comply (Crossman. A 2020).

Social norms are a part of our everyday life, whether they are positive, negative, harmful, traditional etc. It is always developing and change overtime as society moves forward and changes with the times we are living in. Due to this people are held to the expectation of changing or adjusting their behaviour in order to please their social norms group or to be accepted. A violation of these expectations can lead to punishment or being removed from the majority. Norms such as religious beliefs, wearing black to a funeral, gender expectations, foot binding, societies expectation and cultural traditions may be negative, however most of the time these are developed to keep society functioning and stick to a certain structure. These norms have certainly changed people’s behaviour, outlook, thinking and mind set as they form their morals to keep these norms to this day.

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6 Reference List Coury, S., Huang, J., Kumar, A., Prince, S., Krivkovich, A. and Yee, L. (2020). Women in the Workplace | McKinsey. [online] www.mckinsey.com. Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/women-in-the-workplace# [Accessed 15 April 2021]. Crossman, A. (2020). Folkways, Mores, Taboos, and Laws An Overview of Core Sociological Concepts. [online] ThoughtCo. Available at: https://www.thoughtco.com/folkways-morestaboos-and-laws-3026267 [Accessed 16 April 2021]. Fercility Jiang (2019). Chinese Foot Binding. [online] China Highlights. Available at: https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/china-history/chinese-foot-binding.htm [Accessed 14 April 2021]. Gilson. E (2020). Social Norm Examples. [online] Your Dictionary. Available at: https://examples.yourdictionary.com/social-norm-examples.html [Accessed 14 April 2021]. Koenig, A.M. (2018). Comparing Prescriptive and Descriptive Gender Stereotypes About Children, Adults, and the Elderly. Frontiers in Psychology, [online] 9. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6028777/ [Accessed 18 April 2021]. Malchik, A. (2020). The Neglected Consequences of Foot-Binding. [online] The Atlantic. Available at: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/02/lasting-damage-footbinding/606439/ [Accessed 15 April 2021].

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7 Mccormack, M., Anderson, E., Jamie, K. and David, M. (2018). What is Sociology? Discovering sociology. (pages 6-10) London: Palgrave. https://wileyanz.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781137609755/cfi/27!/4/2@100:0.00 [Accessed 14 April 2021]. Planned Parenthood (2020). What are gender roles and stereotypes? [online] Plannedparenthood.org. Available at: https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/genderidentity/sex-gender-identity/what-are-gender-roles-and-stereotypes [Accessed 17 April 2021]. Ross, R. (2018). What Is Ramadan? [online] Live Science. Available at: https://www.livescience.com/61815-what-is-ramadan.html [Accessed 15 Apr. 2021]. Sanchez, S. (2020). 1.3. Social Norms: Folkways, Mores, Taboo, and Laws. [online] openoregon.pressbooks.pub. Available at: https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/ccj230/chapter/1-3folkways-mores-taboo-behaviors/ [Accessed 17 April 2021]. Specia, M. (2019). Saudi Arabia Granted Women the Right to Drive. A Year on, It’s Still Complicated. The New York Times. [online] 24 Jun. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/24/world/middleeast/saudi-driving-ban-anniversary.html [Accessed 15 April 2021]. Sumner. W. G (2014). On Folkways and Mores. Taylor & Francis Inc. United States, 30th December 2014. Accessed 16 March 2021. https://www.booktopia.com.au/on-folkways-andmores-philip-d-manning/book/9781412853002.html [Accessed 13 April 2021].

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8 Tiffany Marie Smith (2018). Footbinding | Chinese history. In: Encyclopædia Britannica. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/science/footbinding [Accessed 16 April 2021]. Youell, J. (2021). What Are Some Positive Stereotypes And Are They Bad? | Betterhelp. [online] www.betterhelp.com. Available at: https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/stereotypes/what-aresome-positive-stereotypes-and-are-they-bad/ [Accessed 18 April 2021].

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