Michael abbington
Michael abbington

For this Introduction to Sociology class I had to think of what would be my violation of a folkway.
Norms are standards or guides for behavior. Norm specify behavioral expectations by defining what are correct and incorrect ways to situations. Folkways are often referred to as customs. They are a standard behavior that are socially approved but not morally significant. The norms of everyday people follow for the the sake of tradition of convenience. In short mores distinguish the difference from right and wrong while folkway draw a line between right and rude.

As a kid, I can remember being taught don’t talk to strangers and although I was young I still felt that I was a reasonable judge of character. I know our parents instructed us never to enter anyone’s car without a parent’s permission. The same rule applies to taking food or drinks from other people you know. As children we were taught to respect an adult and listen to them so most children have difficulty say no to adults. Folkways operate primarily at an unconscious level and persist because they are expedient. I thought about what sort of norm I should violate and where should I perform the experiment. It was every Saturday morning when my three brothers and one sister had to clean the house from top to bottom. Our duties included washing walls, mopping the basement floor, doing the laundry and washing windows. After completing our chores we would take our bathes and get dressed to go skating. We would not go anywhere without our cousin she would come over and then our parents would take us downtown to the RKO Palace so we could watch cartoons on the big screen. On Sunday morning we would all get up and help prepare for breakfast. The proper selection of foods make a difference in controlling our weight because eating right and being active can help maintain a healthy body. We have a family history of obesity and it’s a day-to-day struggle with food and drink. Obesity is inherited. Other family members were concerned about my brother and cousin eating habits because they were so used to reaching for pepsi, chips and candy bars. Obesity were an unaccepted behavior with my brother and cousin because they had a problem being called lazy, slothful and gluttonous. When living with obesity food can become your enemy because your mind begins to play mental games. Communication at the dinner table sets the perfect stage for family discussion about healthy eating. This way the family members can express how they feel in a honest and direct way by using “I” statements to help find other solutions. As a family unit we can disagree about eating foods that are not healthy so instead of saying “you can’t have this dessert” we say when you have this dessert. Some family members begins to feel stressed and uncomfortable about eating too many sweets. One day I called on my brother and my cousin to come into the house where I was standing holding a yellow onion. I told them that if you both eat a whole onion a piece you could lose a lot of weight. I was looking at their facial expressions while explaining how the onion would help them lose the fat. I told them humans absorb minerals from plants they eat. Vitamins and minerals are nutrients that body needs to grow and develop normally. Her first reaction was unavailable

but your facial expression is as much a part of communication with others as is speaking. We all know and recognize the common expressions like fear, interest, sadness, shame, disgust, surprise, happiness, and anger. In fact, these facial expressions are universal. Some cultures may interpret the intensity of the emotion differently. Asian people, in general, rate a less intense facial expression than would an American. In these cultures, displaying emotion too strongly is considered impolite and so there is a tendency to play down in the mind what may actually be present. One doesn’t see what one doesn’t want to see, so to speak, but facial expressions can be far more subtle than this.

For instance, almost everyone has met someone who is seemingly friendly and happy, but afterwards says, “I don’t think he liked me” or “He didn’t seem so happy underneath.” That is because, although many expressions are voluntary, many more are beyond our control. They flit across a face, sometimes lasting only a microsecond, and even though we may not consciously perceive them in others, our sub-conscious is nevertheless taking in the information displayed. Reading facial expressions is something that goes back to the dawn of man.

Individual tries to organise his environment in a way that his freedom of choice is maximised. One way that the individual is able to achieve the desired freedom of choice is by controlling what goes on in particular areas of space.

The next day the boys would play basketball and the girls would jump rope outside.

Individual tries to organise his environment in a way that his freedom of choice is maximised. One way that the individual is able to achieve the desired freedom of choice is by controlling what goes on in particular areas of space.

It was every Saturday morning my three brothers and one sister had to thoroughly clean the house from top to bottom and I mean wash walls scrub the basement floor and clean windows.

Michael Abbington