The Conundrum of Social Norms

Abstract

Consciously or otherwise people decide what to do bearing in mind what they think is acceptable/unacceptable to others around them. These standards of acceptability can be called social norms. Thus, the idea of social norms lies at the heart of sociology—how individual behaviour is constrained by (the individual’s view of) the expectations of others. There is often considerable agreement between participants as to when a social norm is violated, and people report that what they perceive as social norms impact upon them both in thought and action. Some are bold enough to call social norms “the grammar of society” (Bicchieri, 2005).