Summary SOC1001F exam notes: Norms Deviance & Moral Panic (Ari Sitas)

Norms, Deviance & Moral Panic
Norm
Definition
 Society’s expectations about how its members should behave
 A guideline or expectation for behavior
 Change constantly

Differ greatly
Each society has different norms
 Makes up its own rules for behavior
 Decides when those rules have been violated and what to do about
 Example
o Different languages and customs in each country
Norms differ within societies
 Settings
o Expected to act a certain way in certain settings
 Church
 Nightclub
 Time periods
o Different generations have different norms
o Fashion a perfect example

Types of norms
Folkway
 Norm of everyday behaviour
 Example
o Holding a door open for somebody
Mores
 Definition of right or wrong
 Morality based
 Violation causes strong disapproval
 Example
o Sex before marriage
Law
 Written and enforced norm
 Example
o Driving drunk
Taboo
 Norm society holds strongly
 Violation causes extreme disgust
 Violator seen as unfit to live in that society
 Example
o Eating pork in a Muslim country