Norms

Norms, Culture, and Socialization

Ideal norms expressing standards of behavior are part of any society and culture. In many respects, humans are not genetically programmed for one pattern of behavior, but rather have the capacity to learn many different patterns. Any given society institutionalizes a specific set of behaviors selected from the wide range of possibilities. Behavior that may be seen as appropriate in one culture may be called scandalous in another. For example, gender norms define appropriate behavior for men and women. In some societies, young girls are given their own house in which they are allowed to play “wife” with boys they choose. In others, girls are not even allowed to talk to boys. Gender norms define not only appropriate sexual interaction but also behavior, even to the extent of appropriate vehicles for transportation. In many African countries, motor vehicles are driven primarily by men. In some countries, certain vehicles are even taboo for women to drive. At times, these may be motorcycles, and at others, trucks or cars.

In the socialization of (young) people to the norms of a society, most of the cultural symbol system that carries these norms is passed on without being explicitly taught.

Types of Norms: Folkways, Mores, and Laws

Social and cultural norms vary immensely regarding importance and the intensity of the reaction when they are violated.

Folkways are conventional norms of custom generally regarded as useful but not essential to society, and they are fairly weak kinds of norms. For example, when people of Western societies who know one another meet in the street, they probably say “hello” and expect the other one to respond in kind. Likewise, people are expected to be courteous to pregnant women and to eat with a knife, fork, and spoon. Violations of these norms may bring about only mild forms of censure or punishment. One may be reprimanded or considered boorish, rude, impertinent, a nuisance, or an eccentric.

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