A social norm is a shared rule or expectation concerning how people should behave in a particular group or situation. Norms organize interaction by identifying conduct regarded as appropriate, obligatory, or unacceptable. They may be explicitly stated or understood without discussion, and they need not be universally followed. Studied in sociology, psychology, and economics, they connect individual behavior with collective expectations. A widespread habit is not necessarily a norm: people may act similarly without expecting one another to do so. (plato.stanford.edu)
Types and distinctions
Social norms form part of culture, but differ from values. Values express general ideals, such as honesty or respect; norms specify behavior expected in particular circumstances. A value of respect, for example, may support rules about greetings or conversational conduct. Norms therefore translate broad cultural commitments into expectations that guide everyday interaction. (openstax.org)
Sociologists distinguish formal norms, recorded in rules or codes, from informal norms, maintained through customary interaction. Law overlaps with formal norms, but social expectations also operate outside legal enforcement. Another classification separates folkways, conventions governing ordinary conduct such as dress and greetings, from mores, expectations carrying stronger moral significance. The distinction concerns the meaning and seriousness attached to conduct, rather than simply whether a rule is written. (openstax.org)
In social psychology, a descriptive norm concerns what people perceive others commonly do, whereas an injunctive norm concerns what people perceive others approve or disapprove of. These signals can conflict: litter may be common in a setting where littering is nevertheless condemned. Research on normative conduct shows that the norm made salient in a situation can influence behavior, even when another norm points in the opposite direction. (researchgate.net)
Expectations and conformity
Expectation-based theories explain norms through beliefs about other people. Empirical expectations concern whether relevant others follow a rule. Normative expectations concern whether those others expect the individual to follow it. In these accounts, conformity depends partly on such expectations, rather than solely on personal endorsement or fear of punishment. (plato.stanford.edu)
The relevant audience matters. People may respond to expectations within a friendship circle, occupation, or community rather than those of society at large. This reference group determines whose behavior and judgments count. A rule can consequently remain influential within one group while being absent or rejected elsewhere. Personal moral convictions are analytically distinct: an individual may consider an action right regardless of what others do or expect. (plato.stanford.edu)
Learning and enforcement
Norms are learned through socialization. Families and peer groups communicate expectations through instruction, example, and reactions to conduct. Schools, workplaces, and media also transmit rules about acceptable behavior. Education, for instance, involves not only subject knowledge but learning expectations about cooperation, schedules, and participation. Socialization continues as individuals enter unfamiliar groups and institutions. (openstax.org)
Enforcement operates through social sanctions, which may be positive or negative. Praise, gratitude, and recognition reward conformity; criticism, exclusion, or penalties discourage violations. Sanctions also vary between informal responses arising in ordinary interaction and formal responses administered by organizations. An approving smile and an official commendation are both positive sanctions, but differ in their institutional basis. (openstax.org)
These mechanisms constitute social control. They do not require constant supervision: expectations of approval or disapproval can influence behavior before anyone reacts. Deviance denotes departure from socially defined expectations, not necessarily criminal conduct. An act may violate etiquette without breaking a law, and judgments about deviance depend on the group and circumstances in which behavior occurs. (openstax.org)
Persistence and change
Norms can persist because behavior and expectations reinforce one another. Observing compliance supports beliefs that a rule is followed, while anticipated social responses encourage further compliance. Nevertheless, norms are not fixed. Changes in interaction, legislation, or environmental conditions can alter practices and the expectations surrounding them. Different groups may change at different rates, producing periods of disagreement or competing standards. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Pluralistic ignorance can help sustain a norm that many privately reject. Individuals mistakenly believe that others endorse it and continue behaving accordingly; their visible compliance then reinforces the same mistaken belief among others. Consequently, a change in private attitudes does not automatically produce a corresponding change in public conduct. (plato.stanford.edu)
Experimental research has also examined tipping points in collective conventions. A 2018 study demonstrated that a committed minority could overturn an established convention under controlled conditions. Such findings establish that abrupt collective change is possible, but do not supply a universal numerical threshold applicable to all norms, populations, or institutional settings. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Research and measurement
Researchers study norms through observation, interviews, surveys, and experiments. Measurement must distinguish observed behavior, personal approval, beliefs about others’ behavior, and beliefs about others’ approval. Similar conduct can arise from different mechanisms, so behavioral regularity alone cannot establish the presence of a social norm. Experimental designs can vary information about others’ actions or expectations to examine their separate effects. (plato.stanford.edu)
Breaching experiments investigate tacit rules by introducing small departures from ordinary interaction and observing responses. Surprise, discomfort, or attempts to restore the expected situation can reveal rules that participants rarely articulate. Interpretation nevertheless requires attention to context: a reaction to unfamiliar behavior does not by itself show that an identical expectation applies across groups or cultures. (openstax.org)