Norms about Relationships

Descriptive Norms

Descriptive norms provide guidance to what “most” people are doing. It is the norm of what “is” being done by others or what is “normal.” These norms are influential because they provide a guide to what is useful or normative behavior in a situation. For example, if a student is aware that most of her high school peers are dating, this knowledge can act as a descriptive norm for behavior influencing the student's own wish to date. Descriptive norms do not always lead to positive behaviors. Among friends, risky sexual behavior may be common and a descriptive norm, although the behavior itself is unhealthy.

Injunctive Norms

Injunctive norms refer to what behavior would be approved or disapproved of, or the norm of what

“should” be done. For injunctive norms, the motivation to follow them is to avoid disapproval or gain approval for performing the “right” behavior. There are many examples of interpersonal injunctive norms, for example, a person's parents might disapprove of premarital sexual behavior and cohabitation. Breaking these norms can lead to disapproval from others, whereas meeting the norm can lead to approval.

Subjective Norms

Like injunctive norms, subjective norms are based on a perception of whether important others would approve or disapprove of a behavior. However, subjective norms are composed of two constructs: normative beliefs and motivation to comply. Normative beliefs are the awareness of whether a particular person would approve or disapprove of a behavior. Motivation to comply refers to how willing one is to comply with the source of the normative belief. If a person is not motivated to comply with a source of normative beliefs, then those beliefs will not be influential, but if motivation to comply is high, those beliefs will be influential. Within interpersonal relationships, subjective norms should influence the behaviors that are performed within the relationship. For example, one study has shown that people in a romantic relationship who received supportive subjective norms from friends and family for remaining in the relationship were more likely to stay in the relationship over time.

Each of these three types of social norms can motivate interpersonal behavior, although they do so in different ways. Before a social norm can motivate behavior, it must first be learned. A social norm can be transmitted in many different ways.

Sources of Relationship Norms

Norms regarding relationships come from many sources. Many descriptive and injunctive norms represent societal level guides for behavior. These norms can be communicated through folklore, cultural tales, religious stories, and the formal or informal education provided to children and adults. Different subcultures, religious groups, ethnic groups, and regions of a country likely have [Page 1166]somewhat different descriptive and injunctive norms.

...