Breaking Social Norms In The Classroom

Social Norm Paper
Erin N. Musgrove
Andrews University

Social Norm Paper
I. Introduction According to Baumeister and Bushman (2014), “Norms are standards established by society to tell its members what types of behaviors are typical or expected” (p. 308). One step further would be social norms, which are “the rules of behavior that are considered acceptable in a group or society … Norms change according to the environment or situation and may be modified over time (“Your Dictionary”, n.d.). Different social situations call for their own set of expectations about the conventional way to behave and social norms help us to understand social influence, particularly conformity. I think that social norms are necessary and useful
The first was a classroom full of students I did not know and the second was a clothing store in the mall filled with shoppers. I worked alone, not intentionally, but because I spontaneously decided where and when I would break this norm and I knew that I would have been able to quickly scan the rooms to make a note of the reactions I would receive. When I broke the norm in the classroom setting, I decided to do it with one of my fuller lectures so that there were more people, making the setting less personal and the effect of my action more impactful. I walked into my classroom a few minutes late to make sure that most of the class was present, but not too late that the lecturer had already begun. When I entered, I said, “Good afternoon, all”, loudly enough that I was sure that everyone heard. In the second setting, I went in the evening when most people were off from work and might have been in the mall. I entered a store that I noticed was moderately occupied and said, “Good evening, all”. In both cases, I received the reactions I had anticipated. I was either totally ignored, given a strange side look and maybe an awkward, half smile, or had some people look over to others with mild confusion. Once I had spoken, I just continued on as if nothing had happened. I would describe myself as having a few more introverted than extroverted tendencies, so this experiment, although seemingly minor, was a very uncomfortable experience for me. In both instances, I felt my heart rate increase and my palms sweat a little due to my nervousness right before, during and after. I also felt a little hurt because back home in The Bahamas (where I have lived my entire life up to my freshman year of college) I am accustomed to being given a verbal response(s) by most, if not everyone in the room, so I experienced a bit of culture shock when I did this