Ana Perez Cortes
Sociology 101 M-W 9 am
Breaking Social Norms
There are many norms in our society that tells us how to act in a certain situation. We learn about these norms through our families, schools and social media. Norms are “rules and expectations by which a society guides the behavior of its members” (Macionis, 69). For this project, I decided to break the norm of personal space. We learn in our society that everyone has their personal space and that it is rude for someone to break into this space. This norm is considered a folkway which is a “norm for routine or casual interaction” (Macionis, 69).
Usually, after class, I always go to the library to review my class notes or to get a head start on the homework. So, I decided to break the social norm of personal space. As I walked into the library I headed to the computer lab. As usual, it was almost empty, except for the usual students who are finishing a paper or just printing. There were plenty of empty spaces, but I headed to sit next to a girl who I had never seen before. At first, she didn’t seem bothered by my presence, but this was until I started having a conversation with her about the weather, then about how …show more content…
It’s interesting to see how people get bothered because a stranger just wants to have a conversation. This can be demonstrated not only by the facial expressions but also about their body gestures. We learn that we should be respectful of others peoples space as well as to getting offended if anyone tries to step in. The sanctions that I received were those of disapproval, such as the stares I received. Other sanctions were when the individual would straight up tell me to leave them alone. Breaking this norm was something out of my comfort zone, I don’t tend to approach people whom I don’t know and start a conversation. But overall this experience of breaking a social norm, helped me reflect on many other
Sociology 101 M-W 9 am
Breaking Social Norms
There are many norms in our society that tells us how to act in a certain situation. We learn about these norms through our families, schools and social media. Norms are “rules and expectations by which a society guides the behavior of its members” (Macionis, 69). For this project, I decided to break the norm of personal space. We learn in our society that everyone has their personal space and that it is rude for someone to break into this space. This norm is considered a folkway which is a “norm for routine or casual interaction” (Macionis, 69).
Usually, after class, I always go to the library to review my class notes or to get a head start on the homework. So, I decided to break the social norm of personal space. As I walked into the library I headed to the computer lab. As usual, it was almost empty, except for the usual students who are finishing a paper or just printing. There were plenty of empty spaces, but I headed to sit next to a girl who I had never seen before. At first, she didn’t seem bothered by my presence, but this was until I started having a conversation with her about the weather, then about how …show more content…
It’s interesting to see how people get bothered because a stranger just wants to have a conversation. This can be demonstrated not only by the facial expressions but also about their body gestures. We learn that we should be respectful of others peoples space as well as to getting offended if anyone tries to step in. The sanctions that I received were those of disapproval, such as the stares I received. Other sanctions were when the individual would straight up tell me to leave them alone. Breaking this norm was something out of my comfort zone, I don’t tend to approach people whom I don’t know and start a conversation. But overall this experience of breaking a social norm, helped me reflect on many other