Lemus 1 Thania Lemus Prof.

Topf English 114B 21 April 2014 Project Space Socio-normative values and social structures help shape ones society. It involves society and what it means to be normal, regarding someones values and principles. Social norms and values vary depending on the location, as well as the definition of normal differs from person to person. It is not going to be the same, rather similar, but not the same. Places where you can see how socio-normative values and social structures are applied, but are not limited to, are shopping centers. At malls or shopping centers you can see a wide variety of values that people have. It may embrace certain stereotypes, and it can also help shape ones view of what normal is. In places like malls, a person is also able to perceive the way someone should act in public and is able to tell what is essentially accepted. Social norms are previously established by society itself and an individual feels pressured to act a certain way and follow modes of conduct. However, there are many people that challenge someones view of normality by being different, and those people are looked as weird or outcasts of society because they do not meet the standards of what is normal. Because location, stereotypes and norms can have high influence in an individuals behavior, socio-normative values and social structure differ between people, as well as it is challenged by others. When it comes to fashion centers or malls, location is a key aspect in how people act and portray themselves to the public. I observed two fashion centers, which were in two different locations and surrounded by different cultures. One of the fashion centers I observed was the

Lemus 2 Panorama Mall. The Panorama mall was a small mall, in an area that is predominately surrounded by Hispanics. The role that the Hispanic culture plays on this mall is essential to understanding how the mall itself is kept. The mall is usually crowded and loud, the main language spoken in that mall is Spanish. From a materialistic point of view, the retail stores are not high fashion and the food sold is Americanized Hispanic food. By being here, the behavior that one acquires may be temporary because a person is put in a situation where they have to act a certain way. Individuals at this particular mall are very outspoken and extroverted, which forces people that go there to act that exact same way. As a consequence, values are assumed to be the most abstract form of social cognition, serving to facilitate adaptation to ones environment (Kahle, 1983). On the other hand, people that refuse to act the way everyone else does, are seen as odd and out of place. As for the other location, it is more of a mellow and quiet mall located in Simi Valley. At this particular fashion center, the location is also key to determining the way a person should act or to know what is accepted. In this area, Caucasians are predominant and it is rare to see other races around. This mall is not nearly as crowded as the other. It has less people, more of a place to actually do shopping and then leave. As for the other mall in Panorama City, it is more of a place to hang out with friends or family. At the Simi Valley mall, from a materialistic point of view, the stores are more high-end fashion and things tend to be more expensive. Both of these malls show how the location of a place can influence the kind of activity there is at that particular location. As well as it also represents how a location can influence ones behavior in public. A location of a place, in this case a mall, can also influence and/or embrace certain stereotypes. When a certain place is located in an area or neighborhood that contains a certain culture, people seem to act a certain way. In Panorama City or any predominantly Hispanic

Lemus 3 neighborhood, it is found that disorder perceptions are shaped by negative stereotypes of Hispanics and immigrants (Borrego). Some negative stereotypes that haunt the Hispanic community alongside their neighborhood are based upon the media. The way media portrays Hispanics is as loud, dirty, with an accent, usually they portray them in subordinate roles such as gardeners or criminals (NHMC). This portrayal makes people believe that Hispanics are all the exact same way. Therefore, people interact with them a different way and have a different reaction towards them that is often negative. In addition, the Hispanic community often embraces the stereotypes shown by the media. However, in Simi Valley the expectations and stereotypes lean towards a more positive side. It is expected to be more clean and organized and relatively more high-class neighborhood. According to city-data.com, the percentage of White race is 59.4%, which is fairly a vast majority of the people. The fact the more than fifty percent of the population is Simi Valley is Caucasian, shows how the majority of the people set the standards of what is accepted in the area. Stereotypes generally are based upon what is seen though the media, though to some extent it is true, they are mostly exaggerated and blown out of proportion. Location and stereotypes help create a culture within a culture, a subculture. One of these subcultures is materialism. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of materialism is a way of thinking that gives too much importance to material possessions rather than to spiritual or intellectual things. Materialism in itself is becoming an important part in various peoples lives, and a major influence to this is the location, the stereotypes and the media. The desire for wealth that is portrayed in movies, music, and also television makes people want more for them. From a psychology stand point the desire for wealth is a reaction to the sense of lack and vulnerability generated by our sense of separation (Taylor). It is intended to

Lemus 4 alleviate peoples problems and give a temporary rush of happiness. However, in modern society it has become more than that. Individuals now see what people can afford and have, and they want to measure up to that and compete. Doctor Steve Taylor explains, We still measure success' in terms of the quality and price of the material goods we can buy, or in the size of our salaries. The fact that people are measuring their material acquisitions to determine wealth shows how the material culture changes the behavior of individuals. Materialism differs through locations. If a person is an area like Simi Valley the material culture is expected to be more present. Given by the stores that are at the Simi Valley fashion center, the material culture will be completely different from the material culture at the Panorama mall. The reason being is because at Panorama, it is expected to have more quantity than quality; as for Simi Valley it would be more quality than quantity. The location of these two malls, the stereotypes and the culture surrounding it shapes the behavior that people have in public. The way that culture and location connect to stereotypes, and see how that affects the behavior in individuals is astonishing at how many factors there is. Socio-normative values and social structure goes further than meets the eye. Social norms offer considerable scope for skill, choice, interpretation and manipulation (Elster). Everything around people, in some way, shape or form, influences individuals because whatever people see plants an ideology in their mind and start shaping an opinion based on that. Due to this, people are more aware of their surroundings and what is accepted and what is not. This awareness changes individuals behavior and their modes of conduct. Altogether, location, stereotypes and culture shape a persons way of thinking and interacting with others because of the pressure that society has put on what is normal. The location of a specific place, in this case a mall, can influence the kind of people that attend that place because of the races and the social classes surrounding it. Race and the social class

Lemus 5 surrounding a place can lead to the stereotyping of the area and the people, influencing their conduct and how they interact with one another. Lastly, materialism plays a role between there two because it leads to people wanting to compete with other individuals by the amount of material things one has. Nevertheless, these three aspects of socio-normative values are not the only ones that play an important role in individual behavior and interaction. Society, what it means to be normal and a persons values depend on one another in order to have high influence and make a change in a person. The definition of normal can change depending on the persons beliefs and what they have been exposed to throughout their lives. Location is an important aspect in a persons beliefs and what they believe is right, alongside their principles and values. If a specific place is in a generally bad area, then that place helps shape the type of people that are around it. Stereotypes build through the location of a place. If a place is in a good or bad area, people tend to think stereotypically about the people and the races that are at that place. Lastly, material culture influences an individuals behavior because of the competition there is in this generation for material things and wealth. Social normative values and social structure shape society, it changes with people because most mindsets are different. Though these aspects of social normative values are not the only ones in play, they make a huge difference in individual behavior and human interaction. It makes an impact on everyday life, because outside in the public people are forced to act normal and meet the standards that society has set for them to follow.

Lemus 6 Works Cited "Simi Valley, California." (CA 91362, 93065) Profile: Population, Maps, Real Estate, Averages, Homes, Statistics, Relocation, Travel, Jobs, Hospitals, Schools, Crime, Moving, Houses, News. City-data.com, 2012. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. <http://www.city-data.com/city/SimiValley-California.html>. Borrego, Andrea., Wallace, Danielle., Rodriguez, Nancy. and Louton, Brooks. "The Stigmatizing and Criminalization of Hispanics and Hispanic Neighborhoods through Individuals' Disorder Perceptions" Paper presented at the annual meeting of the ASC Annual Meeting, Palmer House Hilton, Chicago, IL, Nov 14, 2012 <Not Available>. 2014-01-08 <http://citation.allacademic.com/meta/p577060_index.html> Elster, Jon. "Social Norms and Economic Theory." The Journal of Economic Perspectives 3.4 (1989): 99-117. JSTOR. Web. 20 Apr. 2014. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/1942912?ref=searchgateway:232f8befc594253b7ab8caffe9084ac7>. Kahle, L. R. (Ed.). (1983). Social values and social change: Adaptation to life in America. New York: Praeger. NHMC Staff. "The Impact of Media Stereotypes on Opinions and Attitudes Towards Latinos." NHMC: National Hispanic Media Coalition. Nhmc.org, Sept. 2012. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. <http://www.nhmc.org/sites/default/files/LD%20NHMC%20Poll%20Results%20Sept.20 12.pdf>. Taylor, Steve. "The Madness of Materialism." Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness + Find a Therapist. Psychology Today, 10 Mar. 2012. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.

Lemus 7 <http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/out-the-darkness/201203/the-madnessmaterialism>.