Preparation: Review Chapters 4, 8-9, 12-13 and https://www.simplypsychology.org/social-roles.html on social norms.
Activity: Violate a norm in order to study its features.
Instructions: Choose three different norms from the list below or pick your own and violate each one at least twice (6 incidents). Decide in advance how, when, and with whom you will violate these norms norm. Your experiments should be intentional and deliberate.
Do NOT violate norms in such a way that could put you in physical or emotional danger irreparably harm a professional relationship!
Norm Violation Options:
Standing too close to someone when talking
Standing too far away when talking
Standing or walking backward in rooms/elevators, etc.
Randomly start singing or dancing in odd public places
Failing to make eye contact during a conversation.
Failing to reply to social greetings such as “hello,” “goodbye,” or saying “thank you.”
Taking food off of another person’s plate in a social setting
Standing too close to someone you do not know well in an elevator or in a line.
Failing to practice good personal grooming or hygiene habits (usually best on a weekend)
Dressing up or down in a way that does not match the work/social/home/public occasion.
Burping or passing gas in public unapologetically, etc… (the odder the better)
When carrying out the norm violations it may be useful to try violating the norms in different settings with different people. For instance, a coworker may react differently to you taking food off of their plate than your spouse might. Be sure to write details of the incidents.
Summary and Analysis: After you have completed the norm violations, respond to the following:
Which norm violations you selected and why?
Where, when, and with whom you violated the norms?
What took place while you were violating the norm?
The reaction of those who witnessed the norm violation.
Explain why norms an important part of social structure.
Explain why some norms are more important for the social order than others.
Explain why a better understanding of norms can make you a better student, employee, co-worker or boss.
Consider if these norm violations are specific to your culture or are they cross-cultural norm violations.
Mechanics: Assignments can be submitted as a presentation such as PPT or as a Word docx.
