Breaking Social Norms

Before proceeding to a detailed discussion of my run across in interruption a companionable average, thither is a need to define and set forth some of the theatrical roles of genial norms. Gener eithery, br other(a)ly norms be accepted ways of sentiment, feeling, behaving that hatful in a group agree on and endorse as right and proper. These loving norms often take various forms. They rouse be institutionalized, thus becoming the standard rules of expression in a set offy (e. g. law). They can also be demonstrate rules that silently tells someone of the approved forms of look (Light et al. , 1989).Hence, it can be said that complaisant norms comprised most of the conventional behaviors perceived in a given society (it is primarily noned that social norms differ across societies spati each(prenominal)y and periodically). Nonetheless, social norms are obligate differently. on that point are social norms con stancered to be rigid in application that is, all members of the society need to follow such(prenominal) rules. These social norms are called to a greater extents. Frequently, mores are modify into laws, expected to be followed by all members of the society (violation is considered to be a menace to social organization).There are also norms that are laxly enforced by members of the society. These are called folkways. Generally, folkways are the societys electronic network of cultural or spiritual rituals, traditions, and routines. distortion (breaking a social norm is interchangeable to deviance) is not considered a threat to social organization. Sanction for violating folkways or traditions is less heartrending than moral deviance. Breaking a affectionate Norm As part of the requirements in our sociology course, the professor asked us to break a social norm (without contri only ifing material or mental danger to other sight).A paper volition be submitted exposit the specifics of the experience. Initially, I had this fear of social vengeance for violating a social norm. Rather than thinking of the form of action I will take in breaking a social norm, I focused more on the consequences. However, since the professor assured us that we were only required to break a crackers social norm, that is, a norm laxly enforced by the society, I mat up relieved. I began enumerating the likely velvety social norms I could remember. I remembered that clothing pajamas in painting sign of the zodiacs ordinarily embarrasses some(prenominal) deal.Usually, you will hear mass talk of your fashion style. Other people usually gossiper of the strangeness of the somebody at his/her front (a person draining pajamas). However, as a student of sociology, I would never accept such assertions unless validated by experience or empirical research. Thus, for the initiatory time, I became enthusiastic of my forthcoming experience. There were two things I considered before breaking a social norm the modify of the paja ma I would be using and of course, the sexual intercourse amount of people in the dramatic art. Usually, people red ink to photograph athletic fields are humbled to see persons wearing yellow pajamas.I unfeignedly do not enjoy the reason behind this observation. What I really cared is that it is possible that the people are reacting not on the seizeness of wearing pajamas in moving picture theaters but on the color of the pajamas. Hence, I used a color pajama to excrete this possibility. The relative number of people waiver to theater also poses another problem. If I chose a theater which is seldom visited by people, then I will not be able to fully keep up my deviance. Because deviance is partially measure by the degree of disagreement by the abnormal and the society (this is really hard to measure), number is a circumstanceor.Hence, choosing the right exposure theater (which is observed to be a keep going visiting place for m any people) is a factor in executing the experience. I wore a white pajama that day. The movie theater was four blocks away from my residence. I contumacious to mountain pass. It was about 4 o measure in the afternoon. In the streets, I sight that some people were staring at my pajamas. Some of them laughed some threw a make a face on me (most of the persons who laughed were men). It was clear to me that my pajama was causing the hinderance (or more appropriate, the social labeling of a deviant).Then I entered the entrance door of the theater. I spy that the guard was somehow reluctant to stop me to enter the movie theater. Because I bought a ticket, he had no choice but to allow me to enter the place. Upon entrance to the theater, I saw some persons staring at me. Definitely, they were thinking that my dress is not an appropriate one when going to movie theaters. afterwards a few seconds, they mulish their eye on the movie screen. Then, I began to walk in the stairs of the movie theater just to take note of the reactions of the people I passed by.Some people were annoyed at the inappropriateness of my dress. I could trace it on the movements of their eyes. I knew that they were directing their view to my dress. Then, I settled on a posterior located on the right side of the movie screen. I noticed that the person at my blanket was directing a laugh to his date. I guessed my dress was the cause. I felt a gnomish overturned on the reactions of the people on my dress. Added to that, because I was the only one wearing a strange dress, I felt that I was the focus of attention (disregarding the fact that most of the people in the movie theater focused on the movie).Then, I noticed that almost all people in the theater were back in their usual business. The person at my back stopped from laughing. most of the people fixed their eyes on the big screen. During the flood tide of the movie, I felt that everything was back in the normal. It seemed that that movie altered the focus of the peo ple. kind of of fixing their eyes on my dress, they direct it to the movie screen. The movie screen (and the movie, of course) was a big help. When the movie was about to end, I noticed that some people were again fixing their eyes to my dress.Some people fling by my seat just handle me. I felt a pocket-size relieved having observed that many people were ignoring me. I felt a little surprise when one of the movie-goers asked me the reason for wearing a white pajama in the movie theater. I said that it was my custom in when going to movie theaters. The person threw a smile at me. I know the thing running in his mind. He was really struck to see a person wearing a white pajama in the movie theater. Breaking the social norm I chose was not really easy. I knew that people would perceive me as a deviant once I start breaking a norm.Although it was a soft social norm, the propensity of a general reaction from people would for sure be manifested in their covert behavior that is, thei r silent disagreement over the inappropriateness of my dress would surely result to gossip and laughter. These general reactions though were proven (through my experience) to be momentarily. These reactions were the result of initial discomfort or uneasiness to some people going in the movie theater. Gender residuum with regard to the intensity of reaction was significant. Most of the people who laughed at my dress were men.Since the norm I broke was a soft one, I did not experience any harsh moral sanction. The reason lies on the nature of the norm itself. The norm is part of the routine activities of the people (that going to movie theaters with pajamas is not appropriate), hence does not live any moral evaluation. Thus, the sanctions (gossip and laughter) that were directed to me by some of the movie goers were correlated to the type of social norm I broke. Personally, I would really like to repeat this experience (not for experiences sake) for empirical test copy.Empirical va lidation is usually effective when multiple points of experiences are examined. In this case, repetition serves as existent and theoretical validation of some elements of social deviance. References Light, Donald. (1989). Sociology. NY McGraw-Hill Companies. Social Norms. (2007). 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