15 Examples of Social Norms

The social norms they are rules that are not usually written or explicitly stated and yet they govern behavior within a society. The objective of social norms is to achieve a harmonious coexistence. For example: greet those present when arriving at a place, do not interrupt others when they speak, be punctual.

Social norms vary from one society to another, are already the product of uses, customs and traditions. They are formed over the years and also vary from one generation to another.

There are different social norms depending on the groups to which one belongs. Social norms in a professional setting differ from those that govern relationships in friendly settings. Also social norms are very different depending on social class.

If other types of rules are violated, such as the legal norms, established by the Right, the consequence is a formal punishment stipulated by law. However, failure to comply with social norms does not result in a specific sanction. Deviating from the social norm can have consequences of all kinds: losing friends, job opportunities and facing other negative consequences.

Social norms exist in each group because a significant part of it considers them important. Breaking them means going against customs and values of that group, and therefore it is possible to provoke the rejection of its members.

Types of standards

Social norms are distinguished not only from legal norms (established by the State) but also from norms belonging to specific groups, such as the internal norms of a family, or the norms of certain games. There are also rules in workplaces that may coincide with social norms (such as punctuality) or not (the obligation to wear a helmet).

The behavior of individuals in society is governed by different types of norms:

Examples of social norms

1. Greet those present when arriving at a place.
2. Do not stay too long looking at another person, so as not to disturb them. This social norm is suspended when a person draws our attention (if he talks to us, if he is putting on a show, if we talk to him, etc.)
3. What constituted a social norm such as not lighting a cigarette without asking others if annoying, today it became a legal norm in most of the world's cities in places public. The legal norm intensified the social norm in private spheres.
4. Do not open your mouth to speak while eating.
5. Staying clean in public spaces is a social norm that is not met in sports contexts. In those cases, it is socially accepted that players of any sport are sweaty or even muddy in sports like rugby.
6. Do not interrupt others when they speak.
7. Avoid profane or obscene language.
8. Giving the seat to elderly people, those with a motor disability and pregnant women.
9. While a general social norm is not to speak loudly, in certain friendly groups it can be welcomed or even encouraged.
10. Not making noise when the night is late is a social norm that is followed on the streets where houses are located.
11. Allowing women to pass before men used to be an undisputed social norm, however it is currently being put on trial.
12. Punctuality is a social norm that must be respected in almost any context.
13. The makeup of both women and men strictly depends on the customs of each society.
14. What is considered appropriate clothing is also a social norm that changes radically in different societies. Even in our society, social norms dictate different types of clothing for different activities and situations.
15. The I respect for opinions other than his own.

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