Rick is a polite person who tends to stick to the social norms expected in the old world, not the new apocalyptic world they live in now. Social norms are unwritten rules about how to behave. They provide an expected idea of how to behave in a particular social group or culture. In short, social norms are the accepted standards of behavior in social groups. The first episode (S.2 E.7 “Pretty Much Dead Already”) opens with Glenn informing his group that Hershel is keeping a group of walkers in his barn. The entire group is left trying to decide what to do about this. …show more content…
Hershel wants them to respect his wishes and leave them alone, but a few in the group, such as Shane, want to open the barn and kill the walkers to keep everyone safe. This is the first place in which Rick begins to show his personality and the way it affects his decisions. During the initial debate with the zombies, he tells his group that they cannot confront the issue without first speaking to Hershel about the walkers. This is an example of social norms. Hershel allows Rick’s group to stay at his farm. They are guests. The social norm of guests is that they are polite and follow etiquette of guests. The rules that Hershel sets are supposed to be followed and respected. They must speak in a respectful way, as not to step on Hershel’s toes. It’s all about what Hershel wants, because he is the head of his home. Rick is very apparent that everyone must wait for Hershel’s word to act. What he says and decided goes. Rick wants to stick to the social norms of guests. He follows this even when he attempts to debate with Hershel about the walkers. He states his opinion, but still lets Hershel know that what happens is his own decision to make. The second aspect of social identity that Rick displays is group polarization. Group polarization is the tendency of a group to make decisions that are typically more extreme than the initial idea that the members had. Rick argues with Shane and the majority of everyone on what they should do about the walkers in the barn. He’s very open to suggestions for the most part, but his opinion grows more resolute as he speaks to different people. In the beginning he’s informing everyone that they should stay. As time goes on he becomes more extreme. He says that they need to follow Hershel’s rules (leave the walkers alone), and that they need to absolutely need to stay on the farm. He even begins to let people know that Lori is pregnant and that due to this, it is crucial that