Cultural Norms and Scripts

Cultural norms are sometimes defined as “the way we do things around here,” but that merely describes the custom and practice processes or interactions within a particular environment. It does not explain why things are done in that way, how those norms gain authority, or what mechanisms ensure that relative compliance occurs. Cultural norms are important because they are the generally accepted way that a society or culture guides and regulates the behaviors of its members. Without them, a societal group would be wholly subject to the self-interest of each individual member.

Many societies share commonalities in respect of the types of behavior that are subject to governance by social standards, but this is by no means universal. Cultural norms are often divided into four main categories with differing degrees of importance: “conventions” or “folkways” are codes of social conduct or a standard of etiquette that is expected but is not morally significant, for example, not taking food from another person's plate; “mores” are more strongly held and breaches carry greater sanctions, for example, one does not walk down the street naked; “taboos” are behaviors that are actually forbidden by a culture, like murder or incest in many societies, and are often enshrined in legislation; “laws” are formalized norms backed by the power of government, containing virtually all taboos, but only the more significant mores. What falls into each category and the prescribed penalties for breaches varies between countries or even within the same country, an example being state variance in U.S. legislation.

For a society or group to function, the majority of participant members must agree upon what is [Page 449]“normal” and desire to conform to the rules. These are invariably internalized through the socialization processes taught to children and reinforced through the educational system. Where an individual or group fails to conform, social control mechanisms are utilized in order to encourage conformity, enforce adherence to rules, and in extreme cases, exclude or segregate those who have broken laws or serious taboos. Social control ranges from disapproval at one end of the spectrum to imprisonment or even execution at the other.

Interestingly, there often tends to be more social acceptance of certain infringements than others: While theft and exceeding the driving speed limit are both illegal in many countries, the former usually carries significantly more disapproval than the latter, in the same way that imbibing too much alcohol (an addictive substance) or smoking cigarettes is often deemed by many people to be more acceptable than using certain drugs.

Within a culture may exist “countercultures,” wherein the norms of a group or subgroup differ or run counter to those of the prevailing social group. These often, but not always, manifest themselves in the espoused values, behaviors, dress, and musical preferences of younger members of society, or the norms of those with orientations “other” than those of the societal majority. Examples in Western society from the 1960s onward include Beatniks, hippies, and punks. Norms exist within these groups, but they may not be aligned with recognized and ratified societal norms. This is different from an absence of norms, sometimes referred to as “anomie.” It is suggested that a state of anomie is categorized by societal breakdown and psychological dissonance.

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