BREAKING SOCIAL NORMS 1

Breaking Social Norms One Word at a Time

Brianna M. Birney

Chandler-Gilbert Community College

BREAKING SOCIAL NORMS 2

Breaking Social Norms One Word at a Time

You have seen it, heard about it, or experienced it for yourself- the disconnect in

terminology between generations, specifically older and present generations. This is not to be

confused with the creation of new terminology between the generations, but the same words that

have evolved into different social meanings over the years. The word “dope” is a good example.

Today, to present generations, the term is widely used as a synonym for “cool” or “awesome”. It

was not until the early 1980’s that the term “dope” transitioned from slang for drugs to another

word for “excellent”, thanks to popular rappers at the time (Dictionary.com, 2021). Although the

present generations have fully accepted the new connotation, the older generations have not;

therefore, a barrier has been placed on the terminology that creates a disconnect in

communication and understanding between the older and present generations. Along with shifts

in definitions throughout history came the shifts in individual mindsets associated with the word.

These changes are only the beginning for how a society continues to develop, and gives warning

to those residing within that society; hence, people are given the option to travel outside of their

homeland. People may be inclined to travel outside of their society for many reasons, but in this

case it is influenced by: the want for self-discovery, social roles, and constricting laws in that

society. People who follow or are working towards obtaining this lifestyle are commonly known

as wanders; a person wanting to break away from social normalities.

Today, the word wander is used to describe someone or something that moves about

without a direct agenda (Merriam-Webster, 2021)- this was not the original connotation. Wander

came into existence before the 12th century as a combination between Old English, Middle

English, and various dialects of German and has continuously been used throughout history as a

verb; “to move about a fixed course, aim, or goal” (Merriam-Webster, 2021). The Old English
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term, “wandrian”, and its definition were influenced by the West German word “wundrōjanan”

meaning to roam about. This then led to the rise of the Middle English term “wandren” (to

wander), that was derived from the Old English term “wandrian” (move about aimlessly,

wander) and the Middle High German term “wandern” (to wander); all these terms share slight

variations of the definition “to wander” and illustrate the usage history of the word wander in

modern times (Online Etymology Dictionary, 2021).

Wander, in the essence of rejecting social norms, carries heavy connotations. Most

negative connotations come from an individual’s outside perspective when addressing another

person as a wanderer. In this case, someone may perceive another as lost (physically or mentally)

or unattentive in nature/to their surroundings. In other instances, someone may formulate

assumptions against another person due to their lack of involvement in society or by not adhering

to the expectations set out for their role in society. The usage of positive connotations are

commonly associated with how an individual may feel about themself, although it is still natural

for one person to describe another as to accentuate a core characteristic of the other individual or

to describe a socially-private person. Given either side for the type of connotation associated

with the word, is it still enough of a reason for someone to want to leave? Connotations are one

of the foundations for a society’s expectations.

A social norm can be defined as “what is acceptable in a given context” (Tesar, 2020,

para. 1). The two most popular methods to follow are the mainstream trend (what most people

want to do or what most people will fight for) and tradition (historical pieces of writing; Torah,

U.S. Constitution, etc.). Depending on the individual’s perspective on life and their definition of

“the right way to go about living your life”, determines the social construct in which that

individual is most likely expected to enjoy living in. In the context of a traditional-based society
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and the relationship between someone who feels more secure in being told “what is what” and

whose main priority is to look out for themselves, they would not be interested in learning more

about what the entire world has to offer them and would be content where they are (physically

and mentally). On the other hand, someone who questions everything around them would feel

trapped or held back by the society they are in and desire to learn more about themself as an

individual. This individual is someone seeking self-discovery.

When one is interested in self-discovery, one must consider what attitude must be taken

in order to approach it: “through the theory of a socialized actor, the concept of group norms or

the theory of rational choice” (Tesar, 2020, para. 2). The theory of a socialized actor approach

describes an attitude in which “norms [are] the constitutive elements of the personal identity of

the actor (reflecting his/her beliefs)” (Tesar, 2020, para. 2). This attitude is similar to the concept

of group norms approach, but the attitude delegating the concept of group norms encourages

group association to shape that individual’s social identity, whereas the attitude associated with

the theory of rational choice follows the idea that “compliance [is] the utility-maximizing

strategy” issued by society in order to enforce socially acceptable behavior (Tesar, 2020, para. 2).

As mentioned in the beginning of the essay, the rejection of social roles is another reason

people choose to break away from social norms. According to Xiao (2009), there are two factors

that influence the relationship between human behavior and compliance with social [roles]:

“what we expect others to do and what we believe others think we ought to do” (Tesar, 2020,

para. 3). A recent example for this would be the COVID-19 pandemic. During lockdown,

citizens of all countries were informed of the situation and protocols put in place for their

specific regions, as well as given access to multiple global organizations to stay as up-to-date

with the pandemic as possible. At this point, everyone aware of the situation had a duty to fulfill
BREAKING SOCIAL NORMS 5

or a social role they were assigned- do not spread the virus. In a group study (Henry et al., 2021)

to examine the perception of social roles, Galbianti suggested testing “ how the law affected

individual’s beliefs of whether other people believe that social-distancing measures are

important” ( para. 2). As illustrated in this example with Covid-19, social roles are not chosen by

an individual but expected based on how the representatives of that society want their citizens to

be recognized.

The other reason someone may be inclined to break away from social norms is due to the

laws within that society. As mentioned in their study (Galbiati et al., 2021), “laws provide

information on societal values when there is an underlying uncertainty on the prevailing social

norm” (para. 1). This would mean that newly created laws are based on the collective values of

people that make up that society. But how does that happen? According to their study (Henry et

al., 2021), “laws shift personal norms” (para. 7). Social norms are “one's beliefs about what

others consider appropriate”, while personal norms are “one's belief about what an appropriate

behavior is” (Galbiati et al., 2021, para. 2). This means that laws can change individual mindsets,

which inevitably influence the social norms of that region. The laws create a way for those- who

do not want to take on the future challenges of maintaining their personal values or those who do

not want to put more effort into considering the law- to adapt or conform to a “new normal”.

From self-discovery to constrinctive laws, there are various reasons for someone to want

to break away from social norms. At the end of the day, perspective is the main factor. How an

individual connects to the world can determine what they expect from life; therefore, making it

easier on them to find a place best suited for their character. With so much of the world to

explore (inhabited or not), there is a perfect place for every person.

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References

Davies, W. (2020, July 10). The rise of rule-breakers: The pandemic has forced No 10 and its

behavioural psychologists to confront the most basic questions: what are rules and

what makes us follow them? New Statesman, 149(5528), 36+.

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A632298657/AONE?u=mcc_chandler&sid=book

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Dictionary.com. (2021, January 19). Dope. Dictionary.com. Retrieved November 13, 2021, from

https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/dope/.

Galbiati, R., Henry, E., Jacquemet, N., & Lobeck, M. (2021). How laws affect the perception of

norms: Empirical evidence from the lockdown. PLoS ONE, 16(9), e0256624.

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A676619624/AONE?u=mcc_chandler&sid=book

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Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Wander. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved October 31,

2021, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wander

Tesar, J. (2020). How Do Social Norms and Expectations About Others Influence Individual

Behavior? Foundations of Science, 25(1), 135+.

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A614410223/AONE?u=mcc_chandler&sid=book

mark-AONE&xid=2d0c6bbb

Wander . Etymology. (n.d.). Retrieved October 31, 2021, from

https://www.etymonline.com/word/wander.