Validity of the Violation of a Social Normality
Jessica Lynn Tomlinson
Kennesaw State University
Abstract
I implemented an assessment to discern what transpires when a social normality is violated. For this violation, I went to the Cobb County Town Center Mall as it was a perfect environment to violate a social normality and observe the reactions and or consequences of a culturally diverse people. I chose to violate a norm by standing at a table while eating. This violation may seem insignificant and a selected few may not view this as a violation or place a value on observing my behavior. Surprisingly, the outcome of this violation exposed this hypothesis to be unbecoming.
Validity of the Violation of a Social Normality
Social norms are defined as what is expected from the designated culture on how those in the society should act in a given situation. (CITE) The social norms depends h8ighly on the mores of a specific society or culture that one is geographically located. In more depth, the norms that society deems are based off the beliefs of what is deemed to be true or correct. Beliefs are put into effect by the values of the culture or society. There is a dominance of a society that enforces the dominant culture which is to be followed by all within. Though there may be some subcultures- those who believe or act upon different beliefs and norms- within a society, they may be considered abnormal. With the violation of the set beliefs or values of the sociocultural dominance, sanctions are given. Sanctions may differ depending on the moral and social beliefs, but there is a global culture and understanding of norms that are the same worldwide.
From birth, social norms are taught through many different avenues. During different stages of life, norms are instilled by a diverse population of people, environments and social contexts. When a child is born, the guardian may teach the child of physiological norms such as how to crawl, sit up, stand, walk and eat. These norms are instilled in each child from birth. The norms of society vary depending on sociocultural and economical normality by geographical location where the child is born.
As a child grows, they may be taught mannerisms or social rules of everyday life such as how to eat, talk or behave. All of these norms depend on where, when and how society feels one should be. As a child receives an education, all norms are instilled based on the populations beliefs or views given to them by their society. The parents may teach the child throughout their life, but the child also begins learning based on his or her environment. The school system becomes the learning guide for a child through their years of education. Behavioral norms are instilled and modified throughout one’s life- from birth to death. The population of a society or culture is taught to adapt to the changing values and or beliefs.
The learned social norms are enforced by sanctioning performed by the society. For minor violations, such as not using correct mannerisms, one may be given looks of disappointment or even a spoken word of disagreement. For major violations, such as stealing or murder, one may be give a harsh sanction of jail or even death. The ways that social norms are enforced depend heavily on the culture and society in which the violation takes place.
I chose to violate a social norm of eating mannerisms. My husband and I went to eat at the food court in the Town Center mall in Cobb County. The food court is set up by the restaurants lining the outside wall while the dining area is in the middle of the room. We ordered food from the Asian Chao. For this assessment, I made sure that I was in the middle of the room so that those may see me from every corner of the room. I did not dress differently because I wanted to make sure I was receiving attention for my violation that I was performing. The table I chose could easily sit six people. It was an ideal situation due to the size of the crowd. The food court was moderately busy yet there were chairs open all around us. My husband sat down at the table and I moved a chair so that I was standing near him.
As I began to eat my food, it proved itself to not only be a violation of a norm but an inconvenience. I ordered chicken and rice which increased the difficulty of eating standing up. I left my plate on the table and did my best not to drop the rice off of my fork. By leaving my plate on the table and eating standing, I began to capture the attention of those around me. The attention came not only from those dining around me, but also from the employees at the surrounding restaurants.
Across from our table was a group of Kennesaw State University students. I began to notice their attention towards my abnormal behavior. They were very open and obvious about their sanctioning. As I glanced at this group of students, they began to look at me at a disapproving and questioning way. These students talked amongst their group in a way that I could purposefully hear their conversation. They questioned each other of why I was standing when there were five empty seats at our table. The sanctioning took place within seconds of my abnormal behavior.
During the twenty minutes we were eating, I noticed I had taken the attention of those surrounding us. I wondered if it would make a difference if I was standing by myself and so my husband excused himself from the table leaving me standing with no one at our table. There was a young employee at the Taco Bell that found my behavior interesting. He openly stared at me the entire time I was eating. From the glances and whispering, I felt that I was abnormal. With this realization came minor anxiety from the situation. I was amazed that such a minor violation would allure subsequent sanctioning.
I found myself in a position of feeling inferior as if I was taking the role of an outcast. During this assessment, I did not feel embarrassed as I predicted I would. I felt anxiety from the abundant attention that was communicated. This experience unveiled my assumption that the society would not sanction my behavior for what I believed to be a minor violation of the norm. It was by my choice to accumulate the attention of the people in this environment, but during the short time that I violated such a minor norm, I experienced the emotion of sadness. One could ask me why I felt this particular emotion; my response would be that I feel what someone may feel that is perceived as abnormal.
Many disorders, conditions and variations of cultural divergences are perceived as abnormal and sanctioned by the population with no regards to why the behaviors may take place. Everyone should ask, “Why would the violators behave in this manner?” The violator’s behavior may be intentional or it may be unintentional. As a society, we must have norms and rules to contain order among the population, but I feel that our society should practice empathetic judgment and behaviors toward those who society regards as abnormal. During life’s journey, all violate a norm. Some violations may not be sanctioned, but we must be remain objective and retain reverence for the cultural variances of those whom we correspond with in our society.
References
Andersen, M. L., & Taylor, H. F. (2011). Norms. In M. L. Anderson, & H. F. Taylor, Sociology The Essentials, 6th Edition (pp. 34-42). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishers.
