The Importance Of My Norm

Before taking this sociology class I had never taken the time to think in depth about how cultures are so different. My culture is what I have grown up and become accustomed to throughout my life. But my norm isn’t necessarily somebody else’s norm. I had also never taken the time to look at the norms that happen within my culture and the people that I surround myself with all the time. The term norm, is used by sociologists to describe those expectations that develop out of a group’s values. Values are what a group teaches a person to believe that is important, or desirable in life. But there are some norms that are not so strictly enforced which are known as folkways. If someone were to not follow a folkway, the people around that person would …show more content…
When my parents decided to start their own ministry and become pastors, I became a lot more involved in church because it became a much more personal affair. I started singing in the worship team, and I became a Sunday school teacher. Now ten years later, I am in charge of the children’s ministry, I learned how to play three instruments, so that I could be of more help in the worship team, and I am part of the cooking and one of the cleaning crews. I have tried to lead a good Christian life, and I always respect the norms within the church. So I decided I would commit my norm violation in church, because I knew that’s where I could get a good reaction. One thing I did not realize was how hard it would be for me to actually violate the norm. I started feeling the embarrassment, at the moment I thought of violating a norm in church. My biggest worry, is that I am my parents pride, in the church they know I would never let their hard work go to waste, and I did not want them to feel angry with me, or ashamed of me most …show more content…
In the church there is a man who has a six-year-old daughter that was diagnosed epileptic when she was about one or two years old, the doctor had also told him and his wife that their daughter would not be able to talk or do well in school. But as time has gone by she actually stopped having seizures, she’s learned how to talk, and is doing well in school. So every Sunday during the worship he goes to the front of the church with his daughter and he swings her around as if he is dancing with her. The one glitch is, other children in the church do not see that as worship they see it as play time. Other children will go to the front of the church and start jumping, screaming, and laughing; and he starts swinging them around as well, which only makes them get more riled up. Many people have complained about it to my dad, but he has never directly told him anything. I think that he is afraid to come off insensitive, so this goes on every Sunday, and we have no idea when it will