Social Norms

Social Norms are unwritten rules about how to

behave. They provide us with an expected idea of
how to behave in a particular social group or
culture. For example we expect students to arrive
to lesson on time and complete their work.

accepted behavior that an individual is expected to

conform to in a particular group, community, or culture.
These norms often serve a useful purpose and create
the foundation of correct behaviors. In other words,
social norms allow you to expect the events that will
occur in a particular setting. This allows you to prepare

The idea of norms provides a key to understanding

social influence in general and conformity in
particular. Social norms are the accepted standards
of behavior of social groups.

yourself for a situation and reduces the amount of stress

These groups range from friendship and work

groups to nation states. Behavior which fulfills
these norms is called conformity, and most of the
time roles and norms are powerful ways of
understanding and predicting what people will do.

Social norms are most noticeable when they are not

There are norms defining appropriate behavior for

every social group. For example, students,
neighbors and patients in a hospital are all aware of
the norms governing behavior. And as the
individual moves from one group to another, their
behavior changes accordingly.

placed on him or her to conform.

Norms provide order in society. It is difficult to see

how human society could operate without social
norms. Human beings need norms to guide and
direct their behavior, to provide order and
predictability in social relationships and to make
sense of and understanding of each others actions.
These are some of the reasons why most people,
most of the time, conform to social norms.

that you would feel leading up to a situation that you felt

uncertain of what was expected.

followed. They remain stable because most people are

taught to follow them and agree to do so willingly. Even
if a person doesn't feel like following a social norm, he
or she may do it because of the social pressure that's

For example, in the United States, it's customary to give

gifts during the winter holiday season. These gifts may
vary from baking cookies for your neighbor to receiving
a holiday bonus at work. It is so much a part of the
culture that most people do it automatically.
Let's say that you suddenly decide that you don't want
to give gifts during the holidays. It may not be easy to
change your actions. If you stop giving gifts, others may
think that you're selfish. It might also make you feel
uncomfortable when someone gives you a gift. You do

What Are Social Norms?

not want others to think poorly of you, and you do not

Maria is a kindergarten teacher. She asks the children

behavior and continue giving gifts during the holidays.

to line up for lunch. Two of the children join the line from
different sides of the room and arrive at the same time.
Rather than simply making room for one another, they
each begin to complain that the other person is cutting
in line. Why does this occur?
To explain this behavior, we must first
understand social norms. A social norm is the

want to feel uncomfortable, so you don't change your

Deviance
When you do not conform to the social norms that are
accepted by your culture or group, it's considered an
abnormal behavior. This is called deviance. There are
varying degrees of deviance that are accepted by
different groups. However, you face being rejected by

the group if your disobedience to social norms is too

The idea of a universal taboo is questionable,

excessive to be tolerated.

but some (such as the cannibalism, incest

Imagine you enter an elevator full of people and, rather

than turning to face the door, you continue to face the

taboos, and genocide) occur in the majority of

societies. Taboos can include dietary restrictions,

other people in the elevator. At best, you'll receive some

restrictions on sexual activities and relationships,

uncomfortable looks from the other people in the

restrictions of bodily functions, restrictions on the

elevator. This is because you're showing deviance to the

state of genitalia such as circumcision, exposure

social norm of turning around to face the door in an

elevator. Your behavior makes the other members of the
group feel uncomfortable. If they feel too uncomfortable,
they may avoid getting into an elevator with you in the
future.

Definition of Taboo
A taboo is a strong social prohibition or ban
relating to any area of human activity or social
custom declared as sacred and forbidden;
breaking of the taboo is usually considered
objectionable or abhorrent by society. The term
was borrowed from the Tongan language and
appears in many Polynesian cultures. In
those cultures, a tabu (or tapu or kapu) often has
specific religiousassociations. It was a word

of body parts, nudity, and restrictions on the use

of offensive language. Taboos often extend to
cover discussion of taboo topics. This can result
in taboo deformation (euphemism) or
replacement of taboo words.
Meat
Various religions forbid the consumption of
certain types of meat. For
example, Judaism prescribes a strict set of rules,
called Kashrut, regarding what can and cannot
be eaten. Certain sects of Christianity also hold
to these or similar rules.
Alcohol

brought back and introduced into the English

Some religionsmost notably Islam, Sikhism,

language by Captain James Cook in 1777, after

the Bah' Faith, Latter-day Saints, the Nikaya

his long sea voyage to the South Seas.

and most Mahayana schools of Buddhism and

Some taboo activities or customs are prohibited

under law and transgressions may lead to severe
penalties. Breaking of other taboos may have
social implications, such as embarrassment,
shame, and rudeness.
Nature of Taboos

some Protestant denominations of Christianity

forbid or discourage the consumption
of alcoholic beverages.

Blood
Drinking blood is a strong social taboo in most
countries, often with a vague emotive association
with vampirism (the consumption of human
blood). Followers of Judaism, Islam,

and Jehovah's Witnesses are forbidden to drink

frowned on as being uncivilized. This again, as

blood, or eat food made with blood.

many taboos, is not agreed upon and exercised

Interpersonal
Taboos that apply to human interactions include
sex, nudity, and bodily functions. Many of these
taboos focus on human sexuality, and in fact
sexuality itself balances on the edge of taboo.
Sexual practices such
as intermarriage, miscegenation, homosexuality,
incest, bestiality, pedophilia, and necrophilia are
all taboo in many cultures. The exposing of
certain body parts such as ankles in
the VictorianBritish Empire and women's faces
in Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan are also a form
of taboo in those areas. The United States holds
public nudity as a taboo where in other areas
(such as Europe) nudity is much more accepted.
Taboos against bodily functions also exist in
many cultures. Burping and flatulence are looked
down upon and seen as vulgar.
The use of profanity is taboo in many circles.
Seen as improper, swearing or cursing is

in degrees in different groups of people.

1) What is Folklore? We know folklore best by its
stories (legends, myths, fairy tales), but folklore also
consists of jokes, sayings, games, songs, traditional
practices (ranging from celebrations to manners of
food preparation), clothing styles, housing
decorations, and traditional crafts. In short, folklore
is anything by which a social group expresses itself
and its special traditions and cohesiveness as a
group.
The concept of social group is a key one in the
identification of folklore. An individual story is not
folklore unless it is re-told among members of a
social group. The definition of social group is a
flexible one. There are a wide range of sizes and
types of social groups. We have folklore of large
national groupings such as American society, folklore
of cultural groups within that larger, complex society
(such as African-American or Irish American stories
and songs), folklore of American children, folklore of
particular families, folklore of various professional
groups, even folklore of individual offices or
factories. Every social group, no matter how large or
small, will likely have shared stories, jokes, or
practices that are the folklore of that group.