All over the world people decide what to do based on what is acceptable or unacceptable to those close to them. The standards of acceptability guide the people’s behavior. The acceptable behaviors give rise to social norms (Xenitidou and Edmonds 1). Norms influence the behavior of people in a given society. The way people think, behave and interact is influenced by these rules and tend to vary according to the setting, geographical location and time.
Different settings will have distinct rules being observed. The settings might be in common location but the expectations of the society are different. For example, church members are expected to behave differently compared to partygoers. Similarly, norms are specific to geographical locations. A behavior might be considered appropriate in one country but highly unacceptable in another. For instance, in most African countries, same-sex relationships are vilified. However, in the United States, same-sex relationships are legally recognized (Human Rights Campaign Foundation 5). Furthermore, norms vary from one generation to another. Acceptable norms will be altered from time to time in accordance with the prevailing circumstances. In the 1950s, it was not appropriate for a woman to ask a man out for a date. However, nowadays a woman can ask a man out for a date (Editors, SparkNotes).
Norms are important in the society for various reasons. They help in guiding people on how to act in different situations. The reaction will be based on what is acceptable in a given society. By setting out what is acceptable, it is easier to predict the behaviors of others. These help to create social order. Without rules, the society will act in a disorderly manner. Besides, conforming to social norms helps to create social groups. People in a given social group will have a set of rules guiding them. For example, neighbors, co-workers, students will be conscious of the norms regulating their conduct. In addition, norms influence individual’s attitude. The individual will know what is demanded of him/her and therefore, he or she will tend to act in a stable manner. Hence, it is possible to predict the behaviors of the other party.
Norms are part of the society and in particular the culture of the people. Therefore, if an individual is introduced to a new cultural setting he/she will have to learn the norms of that particular society in order to fit in. Failure to conform to the norms and belief of the people will lead to cultural shock. Cultural shock results from ethnocentrism whereby one feels that his cultural views are the standard and therefore superior. Hence, when subjected to a different experience he/she will experience culture shock. The values of what is considered worthwhile in a given setting will tend to vary resulting in disorientation to newcomers.
Failure to observe the norms will attract sanctions depending on the significance of the norm. In sociology, norms are categorized into four main groupings. There are folkway, Moore, taboos, and laws. Folkways are norms that result from daily casual interactions and organization. They are as a result of repeated actions such that they have gained acceptance in the daily lives. An example of folkway is queuing in the line at a supermarket while waiting to be served. They provide a clear distinction between rude and polite behavior. Moore, on the other hand, is based on what is morally right and wrong. People tend to uphold Moore with a great sense of urgency. For instance, the society disapproves of two people staying together before marriage. Taboos as a norm are strictly prohibited by the society to the extent that violating a taboo may result in expulsion from the society. For instance, in a Muslim society, it is considered a taboo to consume pork. Lastly, a law is a norm that has been legalized by the state and breaking of the law will attract suctions in form of jail confinement in or fines (Editors, SparkNotes).
As part of the assignment, I conducted a social experiment involving the breaking of a social norm and observing the reactions of the society.
Description
My experiment involved riding an elevator while sitting on the floor instead of standing the normal way as per the unspoken social norm. I choose one of the busiest houses in the city for the experiment. The time for the experiment was between 8 am and 10 am. At these times the elevator was busy and therefore provided an opportunity for observing the reaction of people to my breaking of the social norm. The maximum capacity for the elevator is 12 passengers and therefore I chose to squeeze myself into the furthest corner to avoid inconveniencing the other passengers. My hypothesis for the experiment was that people will not react to my actions and therefore, will ignore me.
In total, 10 groups of people rode the elevator between 8 am and 10 am. The groups comprised of people from all walks of life. There were kids, young adults, men, and women. From my observation, most of them were staffs in the building while the rest comprised of clients for the various companies under the building.
Reaction
There were mixed reactions to my act of defiance. Some people laughed at my action and thought I was drunk. One group of people was concerned about my mental wellbeing and went to an extent of labeling me as a madman. Another group was concerned and asked me whether I was okay. Others felt uncomfortable and refused to ride the elevator. Some stared at me without altering a word. Some panicked and called the security to check on me. However, I informed the security that I am ok and there is no need for concern. Unfortunately, the security man was more concerned about my behavior and ended up escorting me out of the building.
Analysis
The reaction I got from the 10 groups of people clearly shows that I was wrong in my hypothesis. According to my own hypothesis, I thought they will not be concerned with my behavior. However, my conduct indicated that there is an unspoken social norm to be followed when in an elevator. The society expects a passenger in an elevator to stand still in an upright manner and face the entrance of the elevator. Any behavior that contradicts this social norm is confronted with negative reactions and sometimes sanctions are imposed on the defiant person. In my case, I was chased out of the building as a form of sanction to my unexpected behavior.
My action was minor but the reaction it elicited was immense. It shows the role social norms plays in the society in shaping individual acts. The act of riding the elevator while sitting on the floor altered the way different groups of people felt in the elevator. Most of them felt uncomfortable and this goes into showing how norms affect the attitude of the people. They felt that I was different because of failing to conform to their social standards. Their reaction was a clear proof of the existence of social norms. They might not be stated or written down but when broken, one is faced with severe reaction from those around him/her.
My assumption of people minding their own business was wrong. To the society breaking of a social norm is more significant than I had anticipated. In a busy building, there is a tendency to assume that others are excessively occupied to notice the breaking of social standards, however, individuals see the breaking of social norms and responsibility toward it since that is the manner in which they were educated to take a gander at distinctively the individuals who don't take the social standard.
The results of this experiment can be summarized by the conformity principle. The society has figured out how to adjust so as not to be the nonconformist. People as a whole have learned to adjust their behavior to be in line with the universal code of conduct. Likewise, others have learned to spot behaviors that are different from their own and point them out as being weird.
Conclusion
This social experiment helped in demonstrating the importance of social norms. The test additionally demonstrated the contrast amongst following and breaking social norms. I got a chance to see numerous reactions after breaking the social standards and this disapproved my earlier hypothesis and revealed how conformity affects the society at large. By sitting on the floor in a lift I broke the social standard of standing upright and subsequently I turned into the oddball. However, I was pleased to carry out the experiment since it revealed a lot about social standards.
Works Cited
Editors, SparkNotes. "SparkNote on Society and Culture." 2 March 2018. SparkNotes.com.
2 March 2018. .
Human Rights Campaign Foundation. The State of Human Rights For LGBT People in Africa. Report. New York: Human Rights Campaign Foundation, 2014. Document.
Xenitidou, Maria and Bruce Edmonds. The Complexity of Social Norms. New York: Springer, 2014. Book.
