Mhoullahan

Purposes of Social Norms

Social norms are defined as unwritten rules that are created amoung societies on how to behave. Depending on the culture or society there are different expectations on how to act. For example it is expected that when conversing with someone, one must respect the individual and engage in eye contact. The groups in which social norms exist are a wide range. For example there are social norms in a work place, school, friends, family, and or a sports team. One reason for is to create order in society. This creates a sense of understanding among citizens throughout society. This allows there to be directed and guided behavior and to provide predictability amount relationships. [1]

Social norms are present in everyday life, whether people realize it or not. A common social norm in todays world is holding the door for someone that is walking behind you. This is considered an unspoken rule and if someone were to let the door slam in someone's face it is considered rude. Holding the door for someone could be perceived as many different things depending who is holding the door and for who. When a male holds the door for a woman it makes the male a gentleman. Also, a young person will typically hold the door for an older person out of respect. These rules are not written anywhere, but are known throughout society as a behavior that is expected. [2]

Another example of a social norm is dressing a certain way in order to fit in. For example, if someone had a work interview they would not show up to that interview in a bikini. It is an unspoken social norm that someone would show up to the interview in formal attire. [3] “We do what the crowd does. We might not like to admit that, but it is true. Only five to ten percent of the population engages in behavior contrary to the social norm.” [4] No one realizes that certain behaviors of each individual is influenced by the social norms that exists throughout society. The social norm of how to dress in an interview helps people know how to impress the interviewer and gives them the highest chance of getting the job. "Wearing specific types of clothing or the manner of wearing clothing can have the deliberate purpose, or the desirable or undesirable side-effect, to correctly or incorrectly be interpreted in terms of class, income, belief and attitude." [5]

Bibliography

"Dress Codes - regarding Clothing Social Aspects of Clothing." Dress Codes - regarding Clothing Social Aspects of Clothing

McLeod, Saul. 01 Jan. 1970. "Saul McLeod." And Social Norms | Simply Psychology. Web. 06 Dec. 2016.

@PsychToday. "Why Do You Hold the Door for Others?" Psychology Today

Riley, Amy. 2014.“Social Norms: Harnessing Positive Peer Pressure for Change." Change Conversations