Essay on Breaking a Social Norm

Paper Type:  Essay
Pages:  4
Wordcount:  902 Words
Date:  2021-06-04
Categories: 

Social norms entail behaviors and regulations considered desirable and acceptable within a social group or setting. Social deviance center in violation of social norms in informal and formal settings or social context. Deviance attempts to bring a difference between acceptable and undesirable behavior in a social context. In most cases, deviant behavior creates a social condition in which the society is united in an "us against them" concept concerning human actions. Social theories are used to understand the context of social norms to clarify on deviance. There are four main theories explaining social deviance. This paper is going to center on two sociological theories to make clear on behaviors that violate a given social norm. Breaking a norm means going against a particular code of conduct. For example, sitting in other peoples chairs, facing the back of the elevator, eating with ones hands, and reading a magazine during a lecture are instances that may point to deviant behavior. The above social acts or practices go against the normally expected conducts in a social setting or context. In a normal environment, while in an elevator people are expected to face the front or the exit door. Going against such a social norm constitutes violating or breaking a social behavior.

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According to the Merton topology of deviance, individuals turn to deviance while pursuing widely held social values (Smith et al., 2014). For example, a student reading a magazine during a lecture understands pretty well what is required of him or her while in a lecture. According to Merton, such individuals share the value of attending a lecture, but goes against the practice of listening and paying attention to the lecture. On the other hand, according to Smith et al., (2014), conflict theory advocate that a given deviant behavior is a product of political, social, and or a real disparity within a given social setting. An individual would act defiantly with the sole purpose of changing the social structure of his or her circumstances or to rebel against those they perceive as oppressors. For example, in 2011, angry protestors stormed Wall Street to begin what is famously known as Occupy Wall Street movement. The protestors deviated from the social norms to express their anger and frustration against the wealthy (Smith et al., 2014). Conflict theory attempts to explain and express a social dissatisfaction while at the same time trying to change a given circumstance or situation. In a typical social setting, people are expected to behave as per the social norms both written and unwritten.

Individuals who fail to abide or act as per the norms face punishment or negative consequences such as social stigmatization. According to Smith et al., (2014), the primary purpose of punishing those who go against social norms is to instill acceptable behaviors in them and at the same time setting a foundation for a morally upright culture. For example, in a restaurant setting, a customer who develops a rude attitude towards the waiter and repeats the act again while apologizing may be barred from receiving services at the restaurant. On the other hand, a student who reads a magazine or novel during a lecture may be denied the chance to attend the lecture or the book/magazine may be confiscated. Such punishments and control mechanisms aim at instilling some form of discipline and adherence to the expected social norms. Smith et al., argues that deviant behavior and going against a social norm is thus controlled through and by punishment, reprimand, material confiscation, and denial of services (2014). These disciplines aim at correcting an unwanted or undesirable behavior within a given social set up.

During one of the lectures I attended, I decided to go against the standard practice of carrying my writing material. Instead, I carried a literature magazine that was very irrelevant with the lecture on that specific day. At the beginning of the lecture, the majority of the students ignored my defiance and concentrated on the lecture. Since I had chosen a conspicuous table close to the professor, my act did not go unnoticed. At one time, I felt like all the eyes were on me, the professor stopped mid-sentence to inquire if I was part of the class and I replied in the affirmative. However, deeper into the lecture as the students got irritated with my act, the professor came and unapologetically took the magazine. He reprimanded me, and gave me a thorough dress down of the need to maintain discipline and attention in his lectures. At the end of the lecture, many of the students ridiculed me and called me uncultured for showing disrespect to the professor. Being at cross-purposes with the professor drove me to the deviant act. According to Merton's social strain topology, even though I accepted and attended the lecture, I broke the norms by not concentrating on the lecture. According to Merton's social strain theory, deviance can result in allowing one set of social norm while breaking another norm in the process (Smith et al., 2014). On the other hand, I expressed my anger and discomfort with the lecture since I did not feel the need of the lecture in my line of career. However, since the professor used legal means to force everyone to attend the lecture, I acted out to protest at what I thought was oppression.

References

Smith, E. R., Mackie, D. M., & Claypool, H. M. (2014). Social psychology. NY: New York. Psychology Press.

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Essay on Breaking a Social Norm. (2021, Jun 04). Retrieved from https://midtermguru.com/essays/essay-on-breaking-a-social-norm

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