What is a social norm?

Posted: Sep 11, 2002
By: Lina Splichal

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Where do social norms come from? Who uses social norms? How do social norms work? Who determines social norms? Can social norms be changed? If so, how can they be changed? Why do we have social norms? Why do social norms change? When did social norms start or change? Why did social norms start or change? Why should I care about social norms? How do social norms affect me personally? How do social norms affect my family? How do social norms affect my community?

From my research, it appears that social norms have been around ever since there was more than one human being on the face of the earth. Whether you believe in creation, evolution or the "big bang" theory of human existence, groups of humans have always determined acceptable and unacceptable patterns of behavior for themselves. Different groups may have determined different patterns based on environment, structure or membership in the group, but acceptable and unacceptable patterns were always determined and understood. Often with no formal identification of the "norms."

Lets start with some definitions. The thesaurus on my computer offers the words: communal, community, common, public, societal, shared, collective, and group as substitutions for "social;" and standard, custom, average, rule, model, type, mean, and median as substitutions for "norm." Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary, Deluxe Second Edition, published by Dorset & Baber, offers the following definitions:

norm: a noun derived from the Latin norma (a carpenter's square, a rule) "a standard, model or pattern for a group; especially such a standard of achievement as represented by the median or average achievement of a large group."

norma: noun

a rule; a principle, a norm. There is no uniformity, no norma, principle, or rule, perceivable in the distribution of the primeval natural agents through the universe. J.S. Mill
a square for measuring right angles, used by carpenters, masons, etc. to make their work rectangular.
a pattern; a gauge; a templet; a model.
the Square, a southern constellation, situated between Scorpio and Lupus. It contains twelve stars, all below the fourth magnitude.

social: an adjective from the Latin socialis (from socius, companion)

of or having to do with human beings living together as a group in a situation requiring that they have dealings with one another; as, social consciousness, social reform, social problems.
living in the way; as, modern man is social, the family is a social unit.
of or having to do with the ranks or activities of society, especially the more exclusive or fashionable of these; as, a social climber, social notes. . . .
of, for, or fond of friends, companionship, etc.; as, a social club
offering material aid, vocational advice, etc. to those who need it; of or engaged in welfare work; as, a social worker or agency
living or associating in groups or communities; as, the ant is a social creature. . . .
in botany, growing in clumps or masses.

Additional definitions were found at references (B) and (C). However, I found the scientific definitions of reference (B) to be very difficult to understand and have decided not to make use of them in this newsletter. The Encarta World English Dictionary found at reference (C) further defines norm as:

standard pattern of behavior: a standard pattern of behavior that is considered normal in a particular society
usual situation: the usual situation or circumstances
required achievement level: a required level of achievement
PSYCHOLOGY expected range of functioning: the range of functioning that can be expected of members of a particular population . . .

William Graham Sumner (1840-1920) (Reference D) defined norms as ". . . standards or guides for behavior." Norms specifically identify what behaviors can be expected because they (norms) define "correct and incorrect ways of responding to situations."

And, Reference (E) identifies norms when defining "Group Norms" in reference to culture, stating that . . . "Culture is a set of values, norms, symbols, language, and way of life shared by a group of people." It further identifies that culture is passed from one generation to the next. Further, group norms are identified as "rules of daily living" adhered to by members of the group and identified as representing only one aspect of culture. Cultures where all members share language, lifestyle and race (homogeneous cultures) follow clear and well-defined norms. When numerous subcultures are present (heterogeneous cultures) that do not necessarily share one language, lifestyle or race, all members observe fewer rules in common and wider ranges of lifestyles, languages and values are tolerated. The loosening of norms in heterogeneous cultures is needed to avoid conflict within the subcultures.

At the earliest stage of life, group norms begin their passage to the next generation. Newborns begin learning about cultural practices and norms from their first interactions with group members. Group norms continue to be passed through schools and religious institutions. Through their curriculums, parochial and public schools reinforce religious group norms and societal norms based on government norms.

When individuals affiliate with each other for a common purpose, group norms also apply to those small groups. Sports teams, peer groups and self-contained classrooms are all examples of groups where norms function to establish standards for behavior. "Group norms exert powerful positive or negative forces in motivating students' academic performance and behavior."

Members of one cultural group interact with people from other cultural groups from a variety of perspectives, such as Ethnocentrism, Cultural Relativism and Stereotyping. Refer to the definition and example given by Sumner below. Cultural relativism refers to cultures where members are "open to understanding other cultures by trying to learn about them." Stereotyping makes broad generalizations about individual members of a cultural group and assigns qualities to people simply because of their membership in that cultural group; such as, "all Germans love beer."

Group norms are also a form of peer pressure. Educators and parents attempt to encourage children to embrace positive group norms and norms promoting good health, such as performing well academically or developing good health habits. Group norms rewarding disruptive classroom behavior or giving value to risk-taking -- such as encouraging or requiring petty crime or the use of drugs or alcohol to achieve group status -- are just as powerful.

Sumner (D), a Yale professor who was one of the first Americans to teach sociology in a major university, attempted to describe the origins of "social norms" in Folkways, published in 1906. In Folkways Sumner classified "norms" into three major types: Folkways, Mores, and Laws, and defined them as follows:

Folkways -- relatively weak norms that are only mildly enforced in a society and not against the law. Examples include: correct manners, appropriate dress, and proper eating behavior.

Mores -- the strong and important norms of a society. Mores determine the law most of the time and violations evoke severe punishment. Examples include: bigamy, incest, and cannibalism.

Laws -- norms that are designed, maintained and enforced by the political authority of a society. Examples of violations include: speeding, cheating on income tax, and murder.
Sumner lists indoctrination, habituation, practicality, desire for approval and ethnocentrism as the reasons people conform to norms.

Indoctrination means propaganda, sometimes called brainwashing or learning by rote; being told over and over to do something the "right" way. We are all familiar with the communist form of indoctrination where communistic messages were repetitively and frequently broadcast over loudspeakers. Over the last few years we in North Dakota have been using billboards and other media to promote the "Do Buckle, Don't Booze" message. And now we have begun a secondary indoctrination for the "Click It or Ticket" slogan. These messages have been and will be promoted through printed media, PSA's, commercial spots and messages printed on incentives.

Habituation is doing something the same way over and over again. Thus by repetition or practice a thing is learned and becomes a habit (or pattern of behavior). For many North Dakotans Sunday as a "day of rest" continues to be an expected "habit" that has been practiced and promoted over the past century. What we hope for in North Dakota is that buckling safety belts will become a habit.

Practicality or the use of logic allows other members of a society to know in advance what your behavior will be. Humans have established, documented growth patterns. Therefore, it is practical or "logical" to expect that your newborn child will roll over, sit up, crawl, begin feeding itself, begin speaking and probably begin walking within the first 12 months of life. We can predict this series of events based on historical records and experience. And, through practical application of known and reasonable expectations, we can intervene early if expected milestones are not met. One practical application of Traffic Safety is the expectation that drivers will stop at stop signs and red lights. It is logical to expect that obeying traffic rules of the road will lead to increased safety.

Desire for Approval leads to actions taken to receive the approval of other members of our society who believe you are doing the "right thing." This is evidenced by the ever-present "peer pressure" we identify among our teenagers. But, do we consider the peer pressure adults succumb to? Use of peer pressure in a behavior-changing project targeting adults is one component of a successful project. Since we are expected to incorporate behavior-changing projects into our Safe Communities programs, we need to consider how best to use desire for approval (peer pressure) to encourage our North Dakota adults to make the "right" choices.

Ethnocentrism is the term used to describe people who view their group as the center or core, and who view all other people with reference to that center or core. Separate groups look upon their ways of doing things as being the best way; the natural way; and a better way than all other ways. The prevailing opinion of North Dakotans seems to be that we are independent, self-sufficient, macho, strong, self-determining, efficient, and maintain a better life-style than the rest of the country. Perhaps our best use of ethnocentrism would be to determine how we can use our individualist attitude to promote our greatest desired challenge - greater safety belt usage rates.

Reference (F) talks about socialization as a life-long process beginning during infancy with complex interactions between parent and child. Parents respond to baby's physical needs (food and shelter) and begin teaching baby what to expect and how to communicate needs. "The action-reaction cycle of smiling, cooing, and touching is a child's earliest interaction with 'society'." These early interactions are believed to play a major role in the future social adjustment of the child; with consistent, responsive care leading to healthy relationships and normal development, while neglected or stifled needs or communication could seriously damage the child's ability to socialize acceptably.

Family has the most influence on socialization; with parents, grandparents and siblings all indicating what values, behaviors, skills and attitudes they consider to be important. Behavior is governed by household rules and interactions with outside people are modeled after interpersonal behavior observed at home. Qualities valued by society, such as generosity and caring, are learned from both home and cultural examples. Once outside the home, friends, church affiliations, school, media and co-workers also influence attitudes and behavior. Television was noted as a particularly important factor of influence.

Reference (F) continues on to state: "Researchers theorize that socialization is a complex process that involves both personal and environmental factors. Studies of aggressive tendencies in children have pointed out that certain children are more influenced than others when exposed to television violence or aggressive behavior by authority figures in the home. Some blind and deaf children display aggressive behavior such as stamping feet or yelling even though they have never had the opportunity to see or hear such displays of temper. The conclusion is that genetic factors must also be considered part of the socialization process." This negates the "nature versus nurture" debate and indicates that both nature and nurture influence socialization.

Studies of sex-type models also identify a complex interaction between environment and genetics. Many researchers believe most stereotypical differences of males and females are invalid, but some appear significant. Tendencies are
that males perform better on spatial relationship tests, while females score higher on tests involving verbal skills. Due to an overlap among the genders it is impossible to predict the score of an individual. However a perception of differences often affects the behavior of teachers, who are very influential forces on the socialization skills of children. Teachers who respond more to and demand more from males in the classroom may reinforce the image of male dominance and independence. Conversely, females are often rewarded for "passive, less demanding behavior." Additionally, some parents respond differently to their male and female children by encouraging stereotypical behavior and gender-traditional hobbies and careers. And finally, gender stereo-types can also be perpetuated by media portrayals.

So, basically, a "norm" is a pattern of behavior and "social" identifies a group. Thus "social norms" are patterns of behavior common to a particular group. For our purposes,
the particular group is a group of people. You may be more accustomed to the concept of social norms being expressed as customs, culture or ethnicity. If that helps you, think of it in that way. I urge you to consider how you can best use indoctrination, habituation, practicality, desire for approval and ethnocentrism to change behaviors of North Dakotans in general and your community in particular.

First, however, you must identify the social profile of your community. What type or types of people make
up your community? What makes them tic, i.e., how do they make decisions? What is their cultural or ethnic background and does that background drive their decision-making? What influences them in their daily life and when making decisions? Knowing your audience's "norms" will help you determine the best changes to target and the best tactic(s) to use to promote the change of behavior you desire.

WEBSITE REFERENCES:

(A) http://www.socialnorm.org/banner3.html -> Home -> FAQ -> Interventions - alcohol/tobacco/academics/sexual assault/introduction -> Resources
(B) http://pespmcl.vub.ac.be/MEMLEX.html -- scientific definitions = very difficult to follow
(C) http://dictionary.msn.com/find/entry.asp?search=norms
(D) http://www.inlink.com/~tfcnorms.html
(E) http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/g2602/0002/2602000282/p1/article.jhtml
(F) http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/g2699/0003/2699000326/p1/article.jhtml

OTHER REFERENCES:

http://aspe.os.dhhs.gov/HSP/adolescent99/
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m1181/n110/20492566/p1/article.hjtml
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_amgtrvw/m4025/n3_v23/21060916/p1/article.jhtml
http://www.accel-team.com/work_groups/informal_grps_05.html
http://www.accel-team.com/work_groups/informal_groups_06.html
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