Social norms are the unwritten rules that govern behavior, creating a predictable framework for human interaction. These implicit shared expectations dictate what is considered appropriate or acceptable within a specific group or culture. They function as a kind of social grammar, allowing individuals to anticipate the actions of others and maintain order. When a person violates one of these established rules, they engage in an act of deviance that challenges the collective understanding of reality, setting in motion a process of reaction and consequence.
Defining the Types of Social Norms
Not all social rules carry the same weight, and sociologists categorize them based on the severity of the reaction they provoke when broken. The least serious are folkways, which are the customary and routine ways of thinking and acting in daily life. Violating a folkway, such as wearing mismatched socks or chewing loudly, typically results only in a mild response like an odd look or a quiet remark.
Mores (pronounced more-ays) are norms that embody a society’s moral views and principles, distinguishing between right and wrong behavior. These are tied to core values like honesty, fidelity, or respect for property. A violation of a more, such as academic cheating or adultery, elicits stronger disapproval, potentially leading to social exclusion or ostracism from the group.
At the extreme end of the spectrum are taboos, which are prohibitions of behavior considered universally repulsive and elicit extreme disgust or revulsion. Acts like incest or cannibalism are examples of taboos, and their violation can result in the severest social sanction, including complete expulsion from society.
Motivations for Deliberate Transgression
Individuals intentionally break social norms for a range of personal or political reasons, often rooted in a desire to communicate a specific message.
One motivation is the expressive violation, where a person transgresses a norm to assert their individuality, status, or unique identity. By disregarding a rule, the violator demonstrates volitional capacity, which observers often interpret as a signal of power and influence.
Another form is the political or ideological violation, most visibly demonstrated through acts of civil disobedience and protest. Activists intentionally break laws or social rules, such as blocking traffic, to challenge an authority or public policy they deem unjust. These actions are typically public and non-violent, driven by moral conscience rather than self-interest.
Functional violations occur when a person breaks a norm because they believe the transgression serves a greater good. The most common example is the “altruistic lie,” where honesty is sacrificed to prevent unnecessary harm or suffering. Research suggests that when the truth would cause emotional pain, many people consider deception to be the ethical choice.
Finally, situational violations can be motivated by a desire to test boundaries or seek attention and status within a social setting. When the norm violator is not immediately sanctioned, their perceived power increases. This can create a self-reinforcing loop where the individual is granted more leeway for future transgressions.
Social Sanctions and Group Responses
The immediate and external reaction to a norm violation is known as a social sanction, which serves as a mechanism of social control to encourage conformity. These sanctions exist on a spectrum, beginning with informal sanctions that occur in face-to-face interactions. Minor violations might draw a frown, a disapproving look, or a verbal reprimand.
More serious violations lead to profound informal sanctions, such as gossip, public ridicule, or social exclusion. Ostracism, a severe form of social shunning, is a particularly distressing consequence that can lead to feelings of loneliness and a strong desire to regain acceptance.
In addition to external sanctions, the transgressor often experiences internal sanctions, primarily in the form of guilt and shame. Guilt involves a negative self-evaluation focused on the specific action, prompting an individual to make amends. Shame, conversely, involves a feeling of inadequacy or unworthiness that leads to a desire to hide or withdraw from the group entirely.
When the violation is against a codified rule, such as a law or institutional policy, the consequence is a formal sanction. These are imposed by official bodies and can range from institutional penalties like expulsion from a school to legal punishments like fines or imprisonment. Even when formal sanctions are applied, they often carry informal consequences, such as the lasting stigma and labeling of the individual as a deviant.
How Violations Influence Societal Change
While norm violations are often seen as threats to social order, they are also a necessary function of an evolving society. Deviance highlights the boundaries of acceptable behavior, forcing the group to recognize and affirm the value of the norm. By defining what is wrong, the transgression clarifies what is right, strengthening the moral consensus of the community.
Repeated or widespread acts of deviance can signal that an existing norm is no longer relevant, fair, or functional for a significant portion of the population. When a norm is continuously challenged, society is compelled to re-evaluate the rule’s purpose and utility. This challenge to established boundaries is often a precursor to social reform.
Historical shifts in dress codes, civil rights, and public standards of behavior are examples of norm violations leading to macro-level change. The behavior of a pioneering minority precedes and pushes the change in the rule itself. The violation, initially met with resistance, eventually forces the existing social structure to adapt and incorporate new practices, allowing the norms to evolve alongside the changing social context.