Full name: Ton Nu My Duyen

Class: E-BBA 11.1

Student code: 11191366

SOCIAL NORMS & CONFORMITY ASSIGNMENT  

Social Norm: Expectations about what behavior, thoughts, or feelings are

appropriate within a given group within a given context.

Conformity: When someone yields to or "goes along with" a perceived

social norm.

1) Is conformity a good thing, or a bad thing? Why?

I think conformity is a good thing or a bad thing depending on the
group’s behaviour
+ It is important, especially for younger folks, to have positive peers,
because if the group's behavior is positive, then it can lead to peace,
harmony, and happiness. But if the group's behavior is negative, it can be
catastrophic. When behaviors are negative or wrong, why do people still
conform to group norms?
+ Example: You're part of a group and the group's been asked to train a
dog. The group training the dog decides to train it with a shock collar,
and you decide to agree. Now according to social psychologist, there are
two main influences that explain why you would conform with the
group.
First let’s pretend that you've never interacted with the dog before, and
you're uncertain about your method of training a dog and whether it
would be correct or not to use a shock color. So in that case, you may
look to the group for guidance, in this instance, you assume that the
group is correct and so you just go along with their opinion and
whatever else they suggest. And this is known as informative influence.
Second, let's pretend that you are an expert dog trainer, and you know
that it's easier to train a dog with treats, rather than using a shock collar.
So even though you know the group's method of using a shock collar is
incorrect, you might still decide to go along with the group in order to
avoid being a social outcast. And in this instance, you're conforming
because of a normative influence. So, in that case, you fear the social
rejection that can come with dissenting from a group, and so you decide
to conform, instead of rocking the boat

2) List five (5) social norms, and if they are specific to a certain
group or context, describe it.
(2.1) In the United States, it's customary to give gifts during the winter
holiday season. These gifts may vary from baking cookies for your
neighbor to receiving a holiday bonus at work. It is so much a part of the
culture that most people do it automatically.
Let's say that you suddenly decide that you don't want to give gifts
during the holidays. It may not be easy to change your actions. If you
stop giving gifts, others may think that you're selfish. It might also make
you feel uncomfortable when someone gives you a gift. You do not want
others to think poorly of you, and you do not want to feel uncomfortable,
so you don't change your behavior and continue giving gifts during the
holidays.

(2.2) Although a person might not be ostracized for failure to completely

follow gender roles, a feminine woman might be viewed more favorably
by an acquaintance or potential employer than a woman who presents
as more androgynous. The androgynous woman may be stigmatized,
consciously or unconsciously, for failing to follow the gender norms
imposed by society.

(2.3) Personal space is one example of a social norm. Different cultures

have different ideas of how close you should stand when talking to
someone. People who like to be very close when they talk to someone
will annoy someone who doesn’t like to be so close. Drill sergeants
intentionally violate the personal space of recruits as part of training. In
normal social interactions, it’s a good idea to figure out how close people
expect to be in conversation if you wish to be successful.
They found that people in Argentina and other South American
countries do, in general, require less personal space than people from
Asia. In some places, strangers were encouraged to stay away, but
friends could crowd in close. In Romania, for example, strangers are
supposed to keep their distance. But friends can creep close. In Saudi
Arabia, people stand farther from their friends than Argentinians do
with strangers. Hungarians want loved ones and strangers at arms
length, or at least 75 centimeters.

(2.4) Social norms in the classroom and school: Arrive to class on time

(2.5) If you need to leave early, notify your boss and make proper
arrangements. (social norms in the workplace)

3) For norms listed in number 2, how many of them do you think

are positive, negative, or neutral?

+ Positive (2) – 2.4, 2.5

+ Negative (1) – 2.2
+ Neutral (2) – 2.1, 2.2

4) Can you think of three (3) social norms that you are glad they
exist? Describe them.
(1) Social norms in the classroom and school: Arrive to class on
time
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.
When you have a good sense of time, it shows that you respect others,
have a reasonable time schedule for yourself. A society that exists and
thrives well is based on mutual respect. Moreover, it is aimed at
improving the quality of lessons and creating a conscious, orderly
collective and relationships between people will become better.

(2) If you need to leave early, notify your boss and make proper
arrangements (social norms in the workplace)
It shows respect for your superior, whether you are delicate or not
Asking to take a leave of absence from work – whether you need time off
for a medical procedure, to mourn a death or to take maternity leave – is
one of the most stressful asks an employee can make.
But don't let your fears prevent you from approaching your boss.
Experts say there are ways to frame the request to avoid conflicts – and
make approval more likely. "Do the face-to-face with your employer,"
says Susan Heathfield, management consultant, company owner and
writer of human resources content:"This is not the time to send an email
or a text message."
(3) Personal space
Cultures differ in what they regard as appropriate boundaries of
personal space and as a result, travelers to foreign countries would be
well warned to check out the norms of the societies they are visiting.
These norms for personal space have developed over many thousands of
years and may have something to do with norms for intimacy, self-
expression, and privacy
Since personal space is an element that depends on the culture, this
reminds me of the differences in the expression of emotion across
different cultures. For example, in an individualistic country such as the
United States, people are more expressive than their collectivistic
counterparts in Asia. It’s interesting to actively think about something
that seems so innate or common sense, when it is in fact not. I had a bit
of culture shock, when I visited China a few years back, and found that
people will pass right next to you on the sidewalk when there is so much
space around. At first I was nervous that they were pickpocket-ers, then
I realized that that’s just how people in China are socialized. It may be
due to the large population that is usually packed like sardines, or
possibly influenced by their communal culture which doesn’t quite have
the ideal of personal space (since most stuff is shared).

5) What would social life be like if there were no social norms?

No social norms means no patterns of behavior. If there were no social
norms, there would be everyone doing whatever they felt like,
neglecting what needed to be done, and people would be acting with no
sense of respect whatsoever for anyone except themselves, and we
would quickly arrive in a state of nature in which there was a war of all
against all and life was solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.

6) In your opinion, why do people conform?

Norms provide order in society. 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.

7) What determines whether a particular norm is good or bad?

In Psychology, an expected standard of behavior and belief established
and enforced by a group.
By definition, every "norm" is good within the society by which it is
accepted. Your question speaks to how outsiders view another society's
accepted behavior. For example, Americans do not have the same view
of panhandling as the citizens of India do towards similar behavior.