...For my ethnomethodological experiment I tested how my roommate would react if I ate food off the floor or licked things off the counter. A disclaimer: I made sure both surfaces were clean before I did this. I looked up the definition of ethnomethodology and it is “the study of methods people use for understanding and producing the social order in which they live” (Wikipedia). There are set social ‘norms’ that everyone accepts and breaking these can gain you some weird reactions. I searched for other examples of breaking social norms, and society does and doesn’t accept along the lines of behavior. For the licking stuff off the counter, I was pouring some tea and I spilled it. When my roommate went to go get a paper towel to clean it up, I liked...
Words: 317 - Pages: 2
...The social norm I chose to violate was the expectancy to pay after you go out to eat. After a meal at three different places with my boyfriend, when handed the check, I asked, “I actually don’t think I can afford this meal, can we just have it?” I decided to do this because I’ve been a service worker before and I know that I would not have known how to respond to it. The places I ate at elicited all different responses from the person I asked the question to. I ate at the Ankeny Diner, Latin King, and Perkins. The first place I ate at, the Ankeny Diner, is a small diner in my hometown. Me and my boyfriend eat there often, and we happened to know our waitress because of this. When I received the check and sprung this line on her, her face immediately...
Words: 941 - Pages: 4
...Social norms are things that society has considered normal for the people. They constantly change and it's everyone's job to keep up, but today i broke the rules. When you see someone in Walmart that is standing directly in front of the thing you need the “proper” thing to do is to say excuse me or simply wait until they move, but today I did the exact opposite. There was this elderly lady standing in front of the item that i wanted. Instead of saying excuse me I reached over her head and picked up an item. She jolted up quickly and looked at me in disgust but didn't say a word. Even though saying excuse me is a norm that has been around for centuries, she didn't correct me. Maybe because scolding someone else's child is another deviance as well....
Words: 625 - Pages: 3
...Norms are the behaviors that are expected out of us depending on the society that we live in. The norms that we have learned about this year in class can be on different levels of importance and they are also situational. There are many different types of norms and they all mean different things. The two main norms I will be focusing on today with my acts of deviance will be Folkways and More. Folkways are minor rules that change from what group of people you are with and there really isn’t much of a punishment for them. The other norm, More, is a way more important and also cares a severe punishment for breaking them. There will be two act of deviance that I will be discussing today that I performed to see if it changed any of the other people I was around to break these norms. The first act of deviance will be to kneel in an elevator. I choose this because of the video we watched in class when the people stood backwards in the elevator and everyone that got into the elevator turned around as well. I want to see if it still works today and if it works with more people or just with a single person. I expect it to probably not work in today’s society and people to just look at me and my...
Words: 474 - Pages: 2
...I think that McDonald's went down a good path buy creating this ad, because it tugs on the heart strings of most viewers. I think that McDonald's is definitely trying to elicit happiness, and since the dad in the car doesn't want to wake the child, he keeps driving around and around. Once the cashier understands that he doesn't want to disturb the baby sleeping, she quickly tries to get the order in so he can leave with the baby still asleep. The way I analyzed this video was that McDonald's is trying to say that they have fast, and friendly service and at most places, it's at any time of day. They are trying to reach different kinds of audiences, and I think that breaking the social norm, which is usually a mother and her child, people were...
Words: 394 - Pages: 2
...Breaking the Social Norm The norm when going to a fast food restaurant is to wait patiently in line, and decide what you or your party wants to order. When it comes your turn in line to place your order, your family members and you will place the order and will be assigned a ticket number. You proceed to pay for the dinner and grab your ticket number and the rest of the family finds a seat in the restaurant, where you join them. That is what normally happens when a family goes out to eat in a fast food restaurant. How can one break the social norm for this environment, I decide to do what people never do, that is pay for a complete strangers meal that is next in line. So after paying for the meal for the family, I turn to the next customers...
Words: 300 - Pages: 2
...When you meet a complete stranger, what do you usually say or do? Do you give them a kiss on the cheek, high five, or do you give them a hug? In our society, when we meet a complete stranger we tend to either just say “ hello”, exchange names, and a quick handshake. In my social norms project, I will be breaking the norm that our society has that when we meet a complete stranger we tend to just say “hello” and give them and a quick handshake. In this experiment I will intend to break this social norms by wearing a sign that reads “free hugs.” I will walk around a shopping center say “hello” to different individuals after this instead of giving them handshake like most people would do, I will point at my sign and see if they give me a hug instead. I have an accomplice joining me that will take notes on all the reactions that we both notice. Mostly focusing on: how people react both positive and negative, the similarities and differences on the reactions of the individuals....
Words: 1803 - Pages: 8
...College is believed to be a time when you meet new people and open up to new experiences. However, many keep to themselves with the fear of rejection and stay quiet. I was the type of person who isolated themselves from all that college had to offer. I took this project as an opportunity to go out of my comfort zone and break the social norm of keeping to one’s self. It was difficult since I see myself as an awkward person, and it takes me a long time to spark up an interesting conversation. I wanted to gain a reaction from the people I engaged in conversation with. I decided I would tell my peers that the Freshman Summer Program was too intense, and that I most likely would not return in the fall. I chose six triple rooms on the fifth...
Words: 403 - Pages: 2
...Charmaine Williams Professor Mitchell Sociology 1101 September 8, 2014 Breaking a Social Norm When asked to write a response paper on breaking a social norm, it was very hard for me to choose one that wouldn’t get me arrested or in a lot of trouble. I eventually came up with an idea an experiment to see people’s reactions to something that society considers a social norm. According to society social norms are the rules that we live by that dictate right and wrong behavior within our society. The social norms are also subject to some sort of punishment. In order to understand why my actions were considered to be breaking a social norm, I obtained permission from the general manager at The AMC Sony Imax Movie Theater in Stonecrest Mall to conduct an experiment. I will explain why, ringing cell phones, and telling other patrons the movie, or holding conversations with others is considered breaking a social norm not to mention an embarrassing experience when you get put out of the theater. On Friday September 5, 2014 I took my kids to the movies to see the movie LUCY. While there I sat next to some patrons while my cell phone rang and echoed through the theater, then I proceeded to answer my phone and carry on a conversation with the other person on the phone. The next thing I did was get up and move my seat next to another patron and began telling him everything that was about to happen in the movie. I laughed really loud and obnoxiously at parts of the movie that weren’t...
Words: 663 - Pages: 3
...Social norms are customs that we are conditioned to percieve as ordinary. Social norms have their pupose in our society. One can look at social norms as being favorable or unfavorable. I personally think that social norms are often a positive thing as they help keep us in order. For this paper I decided to violate a social norm that is derived from folkways. Folways are common demeanors related to rituals and triditions of a certain society. The norm that I choose to violate for this paper required me to cut into the middle of a line by myelf and stay in line for atleast 2 minutes. I decided to violate this social norm on the campus of Queensborough Commnity Colloge, in the cafeteria located in the science building. I choose this specific...
Words: 886 - Pages: 4
...In our society we have a number of norms that we abide by. For example, there is an unwritten rule of how one should behave in an elevator. It is “proper” to face front, stand away from strangers, and not to look at others. When a social norm is broken people may respond with alarm, humor, fear, irritation, or an array of other emotions. When you think of a norm, you are probably thinking about simply being normal. But in psychology terms, norm means a standard or representative value for a group. A social norm is some sort of an expectation that our society has that is deemed normal by that society; they tell us which behaviors, thoughts, or feelings are appropriate within a given group within a given context. Over the past week I was required to conduct a social experiment where I had to perform social deviance, or break socially established norms, then observe my society to see how they reacted to my “misconduct.” The experiment that I conducted was an example of informal deviance, where no one punished me and there was no risk of any punishment. It involved me riding a walled elevator (not one of those elevators that have all-glass walls) at Towson Mall in Towson Maryland multiple times, but riding it backwards, or, backwards as our current society would have it deemed. I had a friend with me that helped me monitor the reactions of eight different experiment groups and got various reactions where people confronted me about my lack of normality. This contradicted my hypothesis...
Words: 1211 - Pages: 5
... Introduction We have evidence that charismatic leaders behave differently than non-charismatic leaders. Furthermore we know that charismatic leaders can generate social changes with ease, and that the performance of charismatic leaders and their subordinates is at a higher level when compared to that of non-charismatic. At this moment in time very little about the processes by which leaders and followers interact to effect social changes (Meindl, 1992). This paper will answer the questions I think need to be addressed when try to understand charismatic leaders: Why do charismatic leaders act and behave a certain way? Why do the people who follow react in predictable ways to these behaviors? How does the leader follower relationship and interaction generate social change? In this paper, we dissect certain behaviors that begin to explain why and how the charismatic leader-follower interaction can generate change in the workplace or in any social atmosphere for that matter. I will examine the speeches of some of out nation’s greatest and most charismatic presidents, the CEO’s of our country. The analyzing of these speeches will show that charismatic leaders use consistent communication techniques to break down, move, and then change the norms of their followers. Charismatic leaders have the ability to break down, move, and alter the mindset of their followers with ease; it’s very easy for them and also comes very natural...
Words: 1436 - Pages: 6
...In my Norm Violation assignment I chose to break the common dining etiquette norm of eating with your hands. Since eating with your hands is only deviant behavior in certain dining situations, I chose to break this norm at a local sit-down restaurant in Eugene, Café Soriah. I went to the downtown restaurant with a group of friends for an afternoon meal without telling them of my Norm Violation assignment. Being the only informed one in the experiment seemed like the best way to get the most candid reactions from my peers. When I arrived to the restaurant I immediately noticed several social norms that everyone at the establishment was following. The customers and the staff were well dressed, and everyone was conducting himself or herself in an appropriate indoor manor. Everyone who was dining there was using silverware and had napkins in their laps as well. I also noticed that the group of people I had walked in with had already broken some less serious social norms or folkways. They way we were dressed epitomized college students who were struggling financially and those who did not have dressing nice high on their list of priorities. I could tell that we had instantly acquired stigmas from both the staff and some of the customers, simply by how we were dressed for the setting we were in. However, we were not acting unruly by any means and these stigmatisms seemed to be overlooked once we were seated. We were seated in a very open area of the restaurant and immediately...
Words: 1832 - Pages: 8
...Porsche Massey April 19, 2012 SOC-340 Spring 2012 Breaching Assignment The Things That Happen When You Break in Line The breaching experiment I chose was breaking in line. At first, I didn’t think that I was going to get much of any reaction because sometimes breaking is something I have seen occur a couple of times. However, I received a great response when I completed the task. I chose to spice up the experiment by going to three totally different places, and acting three different ways. The first way in which I was going to act was to break in line and act as if I did nothing wrong because something that the customer was doing or had violated me and I no longer wanted to wait in line behind them. The second reaction was to argue back with anyone who said something to me about breaking. The third reaction was to be apologetic but at the same time not get out of line because I felt entitled. The first place I decided to go was to a smaller retail place called Walgreens to get some reactions. I went in on March 9, 2012 at 3:00pm. The exact location was Walgreens on Highway 31 in Vestavia Al. There were approximately twenty people in the store not including the workers. As I was approaching the front of the store I noticed an array of races; Blacks, Whites, Asians, and Hispanics. Also, the ages ranged from fifteen to late sixties. The second place I went to was Wal-Mart on Lakeshore Drive in Homewood Al on April 3, 2012 at 11:00am. It was over fifty people in the...
Words: 1967 - Pages: 8
...decisions about abnormality. Dr Padawl decides to start by explaining how abnormality is defined. Describe and evaluate two definitions of abnormality. In your answer you must refer to how Dr Padawl might explain definitions of abnormality to the volunteers. (12) Dr Padawl may start explaining that abnormality is defined as ‘deviation from a norm or a standard’, and that by labeling a person or behaviour as ‘abnormal’ implies something undesirable and requires change. One definition of abnormality that Dr Padawl could use is social norms. He could ask the volunteers to come up with some examples of what they think social norms are. Then provide them with the correct definition that every society sets up rules for behaviours based on moral standards. They can be explicit (i.e. breaking the law), or implicit (unwritten rules i.e. table manners), and breaking these laws would be considered as abnormal as they are seen as rare in the population. After doing so, Dr Padawl could consolidate by asking the volunteers to label their examples whether they are explicit or implicit. Dr Padawl may also wish to evaluate social norms as a definition of abnormality. One weakness is that cross-cultural misunderstandings are common, as a behaviour that is considered as normal in one society may be seen as abnormal in another, due to cultures and time. i.e. homosexuality was considered as a mental illness until 1973, but it is now acceptable amongst the society. Another weakness Dr...
Words: 531 - Pages: 3
