Examples Of Informal Cultural Norms
Breaching Norms: Personal Space
Informal cultural norms play an important role when interacting with the public. “They let us know how to behave around each other and how to feel comfortable in our community”
(OpenStax College 2015:63). Personal space is one of the many informal cultural norms most people within our society conform to. To test this norm, I went to a popular mall where people from all walks of life can be found and imposed on the personal space of other shoppers. Most people feel some sort of discomfort when a stranger enters their space, and I expect most will move away in order to retain their space, or some might give a dirty look since most people abide by this social norm.
During my experiment I realized that most people had …show more content…
Depending on where a person comes from and their personal experiences they’ve had, might change how much space one needs to feel comfortable when talking with a stranger. I can only suspect that this women was either being polite or had a smaller personal space than most people. This woman’s reaction made me realize that everyone has their boundaries, but those boundaries are different for everyone.
Informal social norms are silent rules that most people abide by in society. When these social norms like intruding on someone’s personal space are broken, people will react in different ways. Some will physically move away and others will give a dirty look, but both reactions sent the same message of public humiliation. Both reaction made me feel embarrassed and uncomfortable because I knew I was breaching social norms. The reactions received from fellow shoppers made me realize that following these social norms is important when interacting with members of my community. The shopper’s reactions left me feeling like an outsider which made me recognize that following within these norms will make maneuver through life
Informal cultural norms play an important role when interacting with the public. “They let us know how to behave around each other and how to feel comfortable in our community”
(OpenStax College 2015:63). Personal space is one of the many informal cultural norms most people within our society conform to. To test this norm, I went to a popular mall where people from all walks of life can be found and imposed on the personal space of other shoppers. Most people feel some sort of discomfort when a stranger enters their space, and I expect most will move away in order to retain their space, or some might give a dirty look since most people abide by this social norm.
During my experiment I realized that most people had …show more content…
Depending on where a person comes from and their personal experiences they’ve had, might change how much space one needs to feel comfortable when talking with a stranger. I can only suspect that this women was either being polite or had a smaller personal space than most people. This woman’s reaction made me realize that everyone has their boundaries, but those boundaries are different for everyone.
Informal social norms are silent rules that most people abide by in society. When these social norms like intruding on someone’s personal space are broken, people will react in different ways. Some will physically move away and others will give a dirty look, but both reactions sent the same message of public humiliation. Both reaction made me feel embarrassed and uncomfortable because I knew I was breaching social norms. The reactions received from fellow shoppers made me realize that following these social norms is important when interacting with members of my community. The shopper’s reactions left me feeling like an outsider which made me recognize that following within these norms will make maneuver through life