Psychology - Norms
(Institution Name)
A norm is something which can be defined as the behavior that is expected of people. It can be associated with everything that is typical, usual and standard by all means in the present times. Different societies of the world have different norms, but most of them are practiced everywhere in the world. Norms are also habits, and behavior of people that are considered to be ‘normal’ and anything other than that can be considered as delinquent or non-conformist. Hence, one can easily say that norms are cultural expectations of people from all across the globe.
2 Norms Observed:
I usually find these norms to be the most common these days. For instance, when two people are introduced for the first time, they are expected to shake hands as it is considered as a proper courtesy and also to acknowledge someone socially for the first time.
The latter norm which I observe and can almost be found anywhere in the world, in the majority of the cultures and societies, includes not staring at strangers in public. This norm applies both to men as well as men as when either of them acts on this; it is clearly the breaking of this significant norm. Therefore, it is quite noticeable that people from various cultures can be seen to be observing this norm in the places they reside in as also wherever they go.
Norm Chosen to Break:
Something that really needs testing, in my opinion, is a norm that has been set for a long period of time now. Waiting in lines when in grocery stores, for cinema tickets as well as for several other reasons is a norm which is undoubtedly observed everywhere in the world. I intend to break this in order to see how people around me will react and what possible reactions they will display in the openness of public. As it is a very regularly practiced norm, I am most certain that it would bring out both positive as well as negative reactions from the people around me. However, a number of negative reactions and behavior is most definitely going to exceed the positive.
Time and Location:
The time for breaking this norm will be around early in the morning when people are mostly running towards their offices and/or to drop their children off at school. The location I choose to break this norm is the local food and grocery store, where people stop every other minute in order to purchase food items for consumption right away and/or for purchasing groceries for home use. The appropriate time that I have decided to choose for breaking this norm is 8:30 a.m. in the morning.
Audience:
I think that most people who will be around me during the time of breaking this norm in the morning will be parents who are off to dropping their children to their schools. It is also going to include men and women, of different ages, who are heading towards their respective offices and jobs. These people will all be included in different age groups.
Feeling Whilst Experiment:
I would feel a tad bit of guilt while breaking the norm as it surely it out of the ordinary. It is expected out of me to wait in lines for their turn and by not doing so; I will risk the anger of other people and will also get to be targeted verbally by all those who will be around me at that time. Since I have never done it before, it shows that I am new to breaking norms, which would somewhat make me feel like I am trying something different, however, unusual it is, for the first time. I am most likely going to feel conflicted emotions before breaking the norm, and this is going to continue until I am done doing so.
What Others Felt:
The best way for me to know what the others felt when I broke this norm is by putting myself in their shoes. They are most definitely going to be outraged, in my opinion. Most of them are going to verbally attack me and will most certainly ask me to step back and to return back to my place. Some of them will remain subdued, and some of them may not even care. The most prominent reaction will be anger and shock that is eventually going to turn into a mild, if not a serious argument.
The people reacted to what I was doing because of the social interaction concept of sociology, which means that the people did not expect me to break the line as they were abiding by it. Hence, they considered me deviant from what was acceptable behavior. I was also in a role conflict. The role is something expected from a person in a given social position, standing in the line was my social position and waiting was my role to play that I did not and hence was deemed deviant.
I also bypassed my social status, which was the same as others standing in the queue at that time. Social status required me to observe same kind of patience as others were at that time. Also, my behavior was not group coherent, I, in the waiting line was a member of a group and I was expected to behave accordingly.
Reference
Boundless. (2011). Understanding Social Interaction. Retrieved 23 June 2015, from https://www.boundless.com/sociology/textbooks/boundless-sociology- textbook/social-interaction-5/understanding-social-interaction- 50/understanding-social-interaction-314-5912/
