Psychologists and sociologists study human behavior. As they study behavior, they're often asked, what is normal? Who decides what behavior is normal? How do we determine if a person's behavior is strange or even criminal? The individuals who seek to understand those questions and define their answers actually studies norms. Now, basically speaking, norms are standards for what kinds of behavior are acceptable and what kinds aren't. There are unwritten rules that dictate how a person should behave in a given situation around a given group of people. Those rules are defined by that group of people and are usually guided by some kind of moral standard or ethical value that is easily understood and internalized by all the individuals in the group. So norms provide structure within groups and set specific standards for how people can behave. And they are heavily dependent on context, the physical location, and can even change over time as we'll see. So let's go through a very simple example. Imagine you're at a baseball game and your favorite player hits a home run so you stand up and you yell very loudly. Now in this context, within this group of individuals, this behavior is very normal. Yelling is considered acceptable and it's even encouraged among other people attending the game with you. Because when you yell in this context, you're supporting the player and the team. Now imagine you're in a meeting at work and while your boss is talking, you stand up and yell very loudly. In this context, within this group of individuals, your behavior is not normal or acceptable. Now again, in the same way that norms vary based on context or situation, they also vary significantly from culture to culture or from country to country. As an example, individuals from America often greet each other with a simple hello or a handshake. whereas in European countries, it is customary to greet someone with a kiss on the cheek. And lastly, norms can change over time as individuals'attitudes shift or circumstances change that allow different types of behavior to become valued. So let's use baseball as an example again. When Americans first began playing baseball, it was only considered normal for men to play, so women were not included in professional baseball. However, when many of the nation's men were drafted to fight in World War II, women began playing the sport to keep Americans entertained. And the circumstances at the time caused a shift in the valued behavior. So by the time the war ended and men returned to baseball, it was normal for both women and men to professionally play baseball. To review, norms are standards for behavior that are set within groups of individuals and are dependent on specific situations, locations, and historical circumstances. In addition to those characteristics, norms also can be classified into four distinct groups. You have folkways, mores, taboos, and laws. And these groups basically dictate how important the norm is and consequences for deviating from the norm. So first up are folkways. Folkways are the most mild type of norm. They're basically just common rules or manners that we're supposed to follow on a day-to-day basis. Folkways are typically traditions that individuals have followed for a long time and are very basic everyday courtesies. Things like opening a door for someone or helping a person who's dropped an item in the grocery store or just saying thank you. If you don't engage in a folkway, the consequences are usually not severe or consistent. There is no actual punishment or strong issue with refusing to help a person who's dropped an item in the grocery store. It just might be seen as rude. So those are folkways. Now let's talk about mores. I know it looks like mores, but it's actually pronounced mores. And mores are norms that are based in some moral value or belief. And because mores are dependent on the group's understanding of right and wrong, they generally produce strong feelings, and there is usually a reaction if the more is violated. So a simple example of a more is truthfulness. Most people feel pretty strongly that individuals should tell the truth, because that's the right thing to do. So when public figures are not truthful, there's usually outrage and a sense that the individual has done something morally wrong. However, mores do not always have serious consequences. Now laws, laws are norms that are still based on an understanding of right and wrong, but they have more formal and consistent consequences. So using our more example, imagine that a public figure lies, but they happen to lie while under oath. Now in this situation, they've done something morally wrong, which is lying, that also happens to violate the laws of the court. So in this case, lying under oath, they would have a specific punishment that fits their crime. Now that said, violation of laws can be very simple, like jaywalking, or very severe, like murder. And there isn't always outrage or disgust when a law is violated. It pretty much depends on the type of law that was broken. Now, taboos are behaviors that are completely forbidden in any circumstance. They're based on a deep understanding of right and wrong, and the violation of a taboo results in consequences that are far more extreme than a moray. Now, it is a norm to not engage in taboos, and if a taboo is committed, it's considered very immoral behavior. Taboos are often punishable by law, and taboos also usually result in severe disgust by members of the community. Two common examples of taboo are incest, or sexual relations among family members, and cannibalism, eating human flesh. So now that we've gone over these types of norms, let's review with an example. So imagine you're back at that baseball game, and you look over and see your friend, and you notice that their zipper on their pants has come undone, so their fly is open. Now an example of a folk way would be to tell your friend that their zipper is down. Now that's just common courtesy. But if you don't tell your friend, then there's no specific consequence other than your friend maybe being embarrassed. So that would be a folk way. Now, imagine that you see another friend who's taken off their shirt and painted their team's logo on their chest. And let's say you feel pretty strongly about modesty. So you think it's wrong that your friend has taken off his shirt and is exposing so much skin. See, this would be an example of a moiré. Though you feel it's wrong for your friend to show this much skin, there's no serious consequence for his behavior other than your disapproval. So that would be a moiré. Now, imagine that same friend... has now removed all of his clothes and decides to go streaking across the field. In this situation, he's now broken a law and will receive some kind of punishment. However, within this context, there probably isn't much outrage or disgust. In fact, the crowd is probably laughing or maybe cheering as your naked friend is chased around the baseball field. Now, I won't give an example of a taboo that could occur here, being that baseball games are usually a family event, but just know that if a taboo were to occur, it would be met with overwhelming disgust and would have serious legal consequences. So on that note, I'd like to conclude this discussion on norms.