Norm Violation

Posted by Winnie Melda on November 12th, 2018

               Norms are the accepted mode of conduct for a particular group of people. They serve as the guidelines to all the expected behavior among the actors in a community. All the societal dwellers ought to demonstrate a high level of adherence to the defined norms. Regardless of the social status, norms serve as a standard of conduct in the matters about the community at large (Benabou & Tirole, 2011). Those who demonstrate a high level of adherence to the norms is praised, whereas the violators are watched in disbelief. There are different types of norms formulated for specific purposes. Some are meant for certain occasions only, and others are to be observed on a daily basis. Norms practiced in one locality may be different from other places and both in content and context. Thus, some behaviors may be allowed in one community and might be a taboo in another. It is required that people learn about the norms of the region they choose to live to avoid violating them which has consequences.

             In respect to the ideas presented, I chose to violate a norm that involved saying hello to every stranger I came across despite them having no idea about who I am. It’s a common practice that when one meets strangers, it’s not easy to start a conversation and tell them everything about who one is. Unless people know each other and socialize after some time, they cannot share much about their lives and also the day’s experiences. Those who violate the norm are seen as people who have no regard for morality in the society and probably have a mental problem. Though it is a sensitive matter, I chose to violate the norm with different strangers to me in a public space. Human beings are known to be social beings. Hence, they are capable of approaching others and creating a platform for socialization. However, it does not just happen since it requires some time before people get into close ties. Until then, one feels insecure when sharing anything related to their personal lives to strangers because little is known about them.

            I chose to violate the norm because it does not have a direct impact on my personality since I dealt with strangers, and also it was simple to plan and execute. I wanted to engage in an issue that would not directly inflict any suffering or pain to my personality. The physical setting of the norm violation was a public space preferably the waiting bay before passengers get on board. The location had many strange passengers waiting to board vehicles that would take them to their destinations, and others seemed stranded. Others were alighting after reaching their destinations. I chose to violate the norm with a young lady and another middle-aged who were simple to approach due to their gender and age. I found it easier to deal with ladies than men who rarely give attention to strangers.

             I planned the day to violate the norm to be on a Friday afternoon since I expected to find many strangers at the bus stop. I did not have much preparation since my mission was not official. I put on a jeans pair of trousers and T-shirt ready for the task. I had a myriad of difficult questions regarding the looming experience that I would have. I wondered whether my two strangers would respond to me nicely, or would embarrass me in public. I feared that the incidence would turn nasty, and I be mistaken for a pickpocket in town. I had courage of interacting with different people both in gender and age, but my two choices were total strangers to me. I also wondered how other people would think of the incident considering that it was a public place. All in all, the negative thoughts did not deter me from completing my mission since it was the only way to gain experience in norm violation. I was determined to learn more about norm violation in a practical setup other than the usual classroom experiences. I left my room and headed towards the local bus stop ready for what would arise. As I walked towards the bus stop, I had similar negative thoughts that made me feel nervous about the whole mission. I wanted to accomplish it as fast as I could before changing my mind.

             On arrival at the bus stop, there were many passengers who were busy boarding vehicles and others were at the waiting bay. I resolved to approach the waiting bay since such people would give me some time of interaction. As I had expected, there were many ladies who seemed to be exhausted of waiting for the vehicles. It was on a Friday, and it was likely that they were busy traveling to their homes for the weekend and others to attend various events over the weekend. I spotted one of them who had a heavy bag, and I knew she would be appropriate for the chat as she took some rest.

            I greeted her, but she seemed to ignore me due to the concentration to her bag for fear of theft. Before she could ask who I was, I identified myself to her. I then went on informing her where I came from and all the details about my day’s experiences and how happy I was to meet her. I gave her a detailed account of my life and most of the things I had gone through. For all that time, she was still looking at me in amazement. The same was the case to the other passengers who watched in amazement. I didn’t worry of their concerns and continued with my ‘conversation’ with the lady. She got fed up with me and shouted to me to stop bothering her with my “useless stories.” She went ahead and engaged the other passengers who became so hard on me. They claimed that they were used to such people who disguised themselves as “good people” but instead they were conmen. I could not withstand the accusations since they were baseless to my understanding. I cunningly found my way out of the angry passengers only to meet with a friend we met several years ago. He must have followed my steps to know why I acted in that manner. He said that he was among the passengers in the waiting bay and was amazed by my conduct.

             I had to explain to him about my intention and purpose of the activity. It was a shameful incidence to me. I could not understand why he stood in disbelief and amazement. He seemed uneasy with my explanation and had many unanswered questions from the way he looked at me. I knew I owe an apology to the lady but could not trace her again and also could not go back to the bus stop. I opted to send my friend instead and pass my apology. Although I had accomplished my mission, I felt that I offended the lady by being persistent without realizing that she was not interested in my conversation. It marked the end of my norm violation experience and could not go to a second person since I had already learned my lesson.

Conclusion

            In every setup having diverse types of people, norms are important for maintaining order in the way people should behave. They serve as social controls in every sort of conduct. All the members of the society are expected to uphold the norms to maintain social order. As a social being, am required to do right like others and behave in a responsible manner to avoid the collision. My character determines my personality in the presence of others. I learned that other people expect us to behave in an acceptable way the same we would deserve from them. It is not good to violate a norm having the likely consequences in mind. 

 References

Alicke, M. D., Rose, D., & Bloom, D. (2011). Causation, norm violation, and culpable control:     The Journal of Philosophy, 108(12), 670-696.

Benabou, R., & Tirole, J. (2011). Laws and norms (No. w17579). National Bureau of Economic   Research

DeRidder, R. E., & Tripathi, R. C. E. (1992). Norm violation and intergroup relations:      Clarendon Press/Oxford University Press.

 Sherry Roberts is the author of this paper. A senior editor at MeldaResearch.Com in legitimate paper writing services if you need a similar paper you can place your order for research essay writing services.