Norm sociology: Encyclopedia II - Norm sociology - Justification and origins

Norm sociology - Justification and origins

A norm may or may not have a rational justification or origin. Norms with common sense origins may, over time, lose their original context as society changes: an action that was once performed because it was necessary to survive may over the years become a social norm, even once the circumstances that made it necessary for survival are no longer applicable. There are at least two reasons for the stability of a norm. First, people are educated via their socialization process to follow a norm and most people will not oppose it. Second, even if a person does not feel like following a norm, they may do so because of social pressure.

Traditional norms such as the Golden rule have been followed by many people over a long period of time. Therefore norms are closely related to customs. On the other hand, a norm may arise as a formal description of an implicitly followed custom (see custom (law) for example).

In social situations, such as meetings, norms are unwritten and often unspoken rules that govern individuals' behavior. Norms are most evident when they are not followed or are broken. This is often experienced when an individual finds him/herself in a foreign environment dealing with an unfamiliar culture where the norms are different. By the same token, importation of cultural products into a new culture will usually result in cultural confrontation. Attempted cultural importation may then be seen as a threat to cultural identity.

In some groups, norms are consciously prescribed as a set of ground rules. Persons skilled in facilitation assist groups in recognizing norms, as well as establishing norms to promote greater group (or team) effectiveness. A general formal framework that can be used to represent the essential elements of the social situation surrounding a norm is the repeated game of game theory.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Justification and origins", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki