Running head: SOCIAL NORMS Student Name Here Social Norms Violation Paper SOC 10: Introduction to Sociology Professor Name Here Social Norms SOCIAL NORMS 2 Social norms in sociology represent the expectations that help in shaping an individual’s behavior and they vary from customs to culture. Through norms, it is possible to provide an explanation of why a person is involved in implementing given activities. Every member of a society is expected to conform to the established norms for any culture to maintain a continued existence and functioning (Huff, & Lee, 2015). To conform to and obey the rules, members must internalize the norms and values that dictate an upright culture. After confirming to the cultural expectation, they then have a duty to ensure they socialize and explain the values to the children. For the nonconformity assignment, the social norm that I chose to violate is the normal dress code expected of the hotel waiter and waitress. Focusing on the traditional aspect, I decided to come to work with sports attire and observe the reaction of people around. The normal working uniform instructs employees to be dressed in black trousers, a pale shirt tied with a charcoal bowtie. As the ordinary routine craves, I was punctual at my workstation ready to perform my duties. I decided I would act naturally in every aspect as required by the management and therefore ensure my services are performed as per the guidelines. From my standpoint, I had mixed feelings as I felt uncomfortable with the circumstances, despite the fact that I knew I was experimenting with the situation. As from the beginning, the first people who questioned my dress code were my co-workers who even decided to distance themselves if I won’t change to fit in. The second in line remains the general manager who at some point decided to give me a day off and in the event of refusing threatened to replace me with another capable employee of following the code of ethics. SOCIAL NORMS 3 On the other hand, the customers whom I provided services with were unconvinced that I should be serving them and had to confirm from my colleagues whether I work there. Other customers could not accept my services and if I insisted they threatened to leave. This violation of a norm caused me to feel uncomfortable during the whole exercise more than I expected it would be before starting. Being avoided almost in every aspect during the process made me so uncomfortable the desire to escape the situation wouldn't allow me to continue with the violation of the norm. From the experience that I had, if one is unable to change there is a possibility that the other members may exclude the individual and even end their relationship in regard to that situation. Someone who may not belong to the society may be subject committing an offense. For example, if the hotel maintained its laws against the use of sports attire in its grounds, I may have been subject to committing an offense. One of the proposals that try to present more on this event represents the functionalist theory. This theory tries to establish the connection that exists between various parts of the community and how each part influences the society at large (Crossman, 2016). It establishes the pieces all depend on each and every one other and thusly in this perspective, there is a need for engaging in better relationships as we need each other for stability, order, and productivity. SOCIAL NORMS 4 References Crossman, A. (2016). Understanding functionalist theory. About Education. Huff, S., & Lee, F. (2015). People and Country: A Psychological and Contextual Perspective in Perceived Norms and Cultural Transmission: Commentary on Tam, K.-P., “Understanding Intergenerational Cultural Transmission Through the Role of Perceived Norms”. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 46(10), 1350-1352.
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