Chapter 3 - Part 4
Norms and Values in Society
How would you describe your culture? What is important in your culture? Sociologist
describe cultures by describing different parts of the culture. One way of looking at
different parts of a culture is to look at its norms and values.
What is a norm?
Norms are rules that define appropriate and inappropriate behavior. We say something
is appropriate if society approves of it.
One society can be very different from another society. For example, consider the
custom of standing in line for something (at a bank, store, event, etc.). In many
countries the custom of standing in line is an important custom. If someone tries to
break to the front of a line without waiting his turn, the other people in the line will
become very angry. In other societies, there is no custom of standing in line. For
example, in China, people do not usually stand in orderly lines. The custom is for each
person to try to get to the front. When the Olympics were held in Beijing, China in 2008,
authorities in China had to have training sessions with the citizens of Beijing to teach
them how to stand in line. Why did they do this? They did this because they knew that
foreigners visiting Beijing for the Olympics would be very angry if the Chinese people
did not respect the custom of standing in line and tried to break the line. They wanted
the foreigners to have a positive opinion of the Chinese people. So, they taught the
citizens of Beijing a custom that was important for many foreigners.
Three types of norms:
There are three types of norms in a society:
1. Folkways
Folkways are ideas that following customary ways of thinking, feeling and behaving but
they do not have any moral significance. For example sleeping on a bed or sleeping on
the floor does not have any moral significance in a society.
In the USA, men are expected to remove their hats indoors. However, women can wear
hats indoors.
In the USA, people usually greet each other when they pass in the hallway of a school
or company. In other countries, people do not have this same behavior.
Following folkways is generally a matter of personal choice.
Folkways: What would people think if a businessman dressed this way in Cambodia?
2. Mores
The word Mores (pronounced “MOR-ays”) comes from the word “moral”. Morality is
related to what is right or wrong in a society. Mores are norms with a great moral
significance. They are vital to the well-being of a society. If you conform (follow) to
mores, you will receive approval from society. If you do not conform to mores, you will
receive strong disapproval from society. People in society feel strongly about following
mores.
For example, in many cultures, the idea of a woman and man living together without
being married is received with strong disapproval in society. The people in society make
a judgement about that situation based on their ideas of what is right or wrong in the
society. A young woman who decides to live with her boyfriend, might receive strong
disapproval from her family members in some societies.
The most serious mores are taboos. A taboo is so strong that if someone violates it he
will be punished by the society. For example, incest (having a sexual relation with a
member of the immediate family) is a taboo in most cultures around the world.
In some societies, there is a taboo that prohibits social contact between a husband and
his wifeʼs mother.
3. Laws
Laws are norms that are formally defined and enforced by officials in a society.
Sometimes folkways become laws. For example, smoking used to be generally
considered a personal choice in most societies. However, more and more people
became concerned about the health affects of breathing the smoke. Nowadays there
are laws in many places that restrict people from smoking.
What are values?
Values are general ideas about what most people in a society consider to be desirable.
Values are so general, that different societies can develop different behaviors based on
those values.
Why are values important?
Values have a big influence on human social behavior because they are used to
develop norms in a society.
Questions to consider:
1. Do you think that the custom of standing in line is a type of folkway or mores? Why?
2. Why do you think that custom of wearing a helmet when riding a motorbike became a
law?