Norm Breaking Social Norm Experiments

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In the United States, we value personal space. For my norm-breaking assignment, I conducted an experiment that violated my family and friends' personal space. First, I violated their personal space in shared areas, such as the living room and dining room. In these areas, you expect to be near family and friends. But I would sit/ stand mere inches away from my family. I spoke closely to their faces and sat, touching their shoulders, on the couch at the dinner table. My family felt confused as to why I was so uncomfortably close to them. They would step back from me or scooge over to have more personal space. After repeatedly doing this, they of course caught onto me. I would be interested in seeing the different results of this experiment if done with strangers. But it was still fun to see my family react to this behavior. …show more content…
In general, individuals who violate the norm may face disapproval, discomfort, or even confrontation from the target individual and surrounding bystanders. These social sanctions are typically created and enforced by societal norms and expectations regarding appropriate interpersonal behavior. These reactions serve as informal forms of social control, signaling to the violator that their behavior is inappropriate and potentially disruptive to social harmony.

As a small caucasian woman, most people would not feel threatened by me invading their personal space. This would not be the same case if the experimenter was a large male, a person covered in tattoos, a homeless person, etc. People stereotype these certain individuals as “suspicious” or a “threat”. The sanctions they face could be more serious, such as being screamed at, physical confrontation, or even having the police called on

Social Norms In Our Culture

Social Norms Norms are unwritten rules that define what behavior is accepted in certain situations in a society or group. We follow social norms on an everyday basis, but we are not fully aware of it. Norms are important. They dictate what actions are welcomed and what actions are ridiculed. Examples of norms in our culture are shaking hands when you meet a person, making eye contact when you speak with people, and even talking at a normal volume. Some norms can be more complex than that, such…

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Breaking Social Norms

when comes to social norms according to our textbook, Introduction to Sociology (Schaefer 62). Writer Bradley Wright, from his article The Prevalence of Social Norms, states that social norms are the core concepts of sociology, and it refers to the behavioral expectations that a social group holds for its individuals (Bradley). Ultimately, social norms tell people what they are supposed to do and how to behave in any given situation within our society. In contrast, breaking “formal norms” (laws) can…

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Breaking Social Norms

Socialists have created the term “norm” to describe societal expectations. Different societies all around the world have curated their own ideal norms and vary from culture to culture drastically. These rules of behavior affect all aspects of life and shape beauty standards, differentiate what is “right” and “wrong”, social interactions, our own personal values, and expand even further to all aspects of what we do and the way we feel in our civilization. A couple examples of norms in the U.S. would include…

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Personal Narrative: Breaking A Social Norm

told myself that I would do what it takes to stop being shy and to get out of my comfort zone. This new music course has offered me the opportunity I have been waiting for. The group I chose to be apart of was the one that was to break a social norm. The social norm our group chose to break was the quietness of the peaceful Cushwa-Leighton Library. The plan was to dance to “La Macarena,” “Cupid Shuffle,” along with other lined dances. When we were discussing our plan as a group I came up with two hypotheses…

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Essay On Breaking A Social Norm

Breaking a Social Norm Statement of the Problem: The social norm I intend to violate is that of dressing appropriately. To violate this norm, I plan to wear my pyjamas in public. Social norms are in place in our society, so people know how to act and behave in society. This social expectation serves a purpose in our society; the way you dress determines how individuals perceive, respect and listens to you. This social norm speaks to the sociological concept of stereotyping. Hypothesis: I would…

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the Brockway Experiment Essay

The Brockway experiment I. Social norms are the behaviors and cues within a society or group. This sociological term has been defined as “the rules that a group uses for appropriate and inappropriate values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. These rules may be explicit or implicit. Going to eat at a college dining hall is something that seems so simple and people give so little thought to it. Whether you realize or not there are a ton of social norms that go in to eating at the dining hall. From…

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Experiment: Sociology and Norms Essay

In this experiment, we were asked to violate a social norm in a public setting and make observations on what we saw and how our audience responded. The social norm that I chose to violate was simply that of common courtesy. I decided to walk thru a drive thru at McDonalds. Norms are a very important part of society. In the book, norms are defined as "the specific expectations about how people behave in a given situation. Without norms, a society has no foundation on which to stand. It would have…

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Essay about Social Norms Exp

Do You Mind?: Breaking the Social Norm Norms are defined as “laws that govern societies behaviors,” keeping unspoken order and maintaining unwritten standards. Norms range from eating with the proper utensils and wearing gender appropriate clothes, to not committing murder or being sexually promiscuous. I choose to violate the norm of common curtsey at the dining table. By making noises while people were eating, my goal was to see how they would react, bot verbally and none verbally. Another folkway…

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Conformity In Society

are expected to conform to the norms of everyday life. We are obligated to stay in a “comfort bubble” and anything beyond what is viewed as normal to the public, is considered unusual. Society plays a big role in our ways of thinking, acting, and our views on morality. We are so accustomed to these norms that we don’t even consider breaking any of these trends that have shaped our fundamental ways of being. Perhaps the reason why conformists don’t break the social rule is the fear of being ridiculed…

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Definition Of Macro Sociology

**Macro sociology**- analysis of social life that focuses on broad features of society, ex. Social class and relationships of groups to another. Usually used by functionalists & conflict theorists **Micro sociology**- analysis of social life that focuses on social interaction. Usually used by symbolic interactionists **Social structure**- the framework of society that surrounds us. Consists of the ways that people and groups are related to one another, this frame work gives direction to and…

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