First of all, when we speak of “norms” in sociology, we normally refer to “social norms”. In these notes, we will briefly sketch the meaning, nature, and importance of social norms.
Now, norms, or social norms, can be broadly construed as a set of certain behaviors, thoughts, or values that a majority of people share within the same society. In other words, social norms are the values of manners, civility, and customary tradition expressed through actions of society.
It must be noted that social norms differ from rules or laws in the sense that the former are not compulsory. Social norms simply define a “direction” or “guidelines” that have the social function of making a society work peacefully. Hence, through social norms, people can anticipate how others will behave and think.
An example of social norm is behaving accordingly inside a church. Of course, without a signified warning, without laws or rules, one would stay quiet the moment he or she enters the church. In addition to the fact that the place is holy, everybody inside the church is quiet. And as we can see, we read the norm in the church through our cognitive functions.
Another example is the way men behave toward women. As is well known, men are expected to take initiatives when it comes to men and women relationships. So, the social norm is to let men make the first move, in other words, men must take the initiatives. As we can see, this is the general social norm perceived by most people in our society.
Norms or social norms are very important as they provide us with an expected idea of how to behave, and function to provide order and predictability in society. Norms also provide order in society. In fact, it is difficult to see how human society could operate without social norms. Human beings need norms to guide and direct their behavior, to provide order and predictability in social relationships, and to make sense of and understanding of each other’s actions. These are some of the reasons why most people, most of the time, conform to social norms.
