Identify Social Norms

As stated in "You May Ask Yourself" by Dalton Conley a reference group is defined as "a group that helps us understand or make sense of our position in society relative to other groups"(Conley 161). There are many reference groups that we all encounter and compare ourselves to everyday without even noticing that we are doing so. This groups can include classmates, clubs, teammates(if you play or played a sport), and many other groups that we could encounter on a daily basis. I found that I would often use the goalies on the opposing teams as a reference group to judge my performance as a lacrosse goalie. In doing this I either left a game feeling great, or

Misfit. Rebel. Troublemaker. These are all names that may be given to people who go against the social norm. According to Andersen, Taylor, and Logio, the authors of Sociology: The Essentials, norms are defined as the specific cultural expectations for how to act in a given situation (2016). When someone disrupts the expectations, they commit a norm violation and may display deviant behavior. Since norms are so automatically built into our everyday lives, the rules of social interaction can be subtle and may be imperceptible to the people who participate in them. Therefore, sociologists often purposefully commit a norm violation in order to study what the rules or norms are. This approach, known as ethnomethodology, interprets society as being

The reading Groups and Conformity by Michael R. Solomon is about the different types of reference groups and how each one of them can affect a person's decisions in a positive or negative way and how people desire other peoples options . A reference group is a group that has many different effects on individuals. Research and examples are also provided throughout the reading, which helps support what is being read. The reading also talks about several factors of conformity, Conformity is a change in a person actions or beliefs in reaction to group pressure.

The initial study yielded up to 75% of participants conforming to the group, but the experiment performed in the context of freshmen in 2017 did not yield similar results; conformity was significantly less likely. The causes of the conformity stem from the outside influences in the environment. Conformity itself is defined by the altering of one’s behaviors and opinions to match others beliefs or expectations. The influences that affect this are twofold: normative and

Kartrell Williams 8 September 2014 Social Norms As you grow up in a society you realize that some laws or rules are neither legal nor illegal but more everyday behavior that people follow for the sake of being a habit or convenience that have always been accepted. And if you act out of these behavior customs you will be looked at as weird or different. This is because of social norms and folkways. Folkways are standards of behavior that are socially approved but not morally significant. While Norms are the behavior within a society or culture that is a guideline for what’s appropriate and inappropriate like values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors.

The next observation noted in my diary occurred hours later, when my friend and I, were walking home. When having a conversation with someone, it is a social norm that you will be attentive and actively listen, to what the individual(s) are saying. However, as before the social norm of responding to a message, and being connected in both worlds occurred. In the walk, we were talking about a big argument he had with his family, a serious topic. As we continued, my phone suddenly started to receive many notifications, and thus creating a lot of disruption.

Being the main agent for primary socialisation, a family is essential for the learning of young children with basic norms and values of day-to-day life. Waugh. C. (2008, pg.2) stated that “basic norms such as how to eat food and the time and place for family mealtimes are transmitted via the family” other researchers agreed, specifically Swann, F. (2011, pg.16) that emphasised that children learn these norms through imitation of role models – their parents. Griffiths et al. (2015) suggested that children copy the roles of their same-sex parent, therefore, giving the girls more domestic toys and learn to behave like their mother. Social norms are also controlled via parents, Waugh. C. (2008, pg.2) elaborated on that information and stated

Two characteristics that can be seen in groups’ behavior are conformity and compliance. Both conformity and compliance are established in different ways onto all kinds of individuals and groups. By “individuals and groups” meaning race, gender, or color of skin. To begin, it is important to know the difference of both behaviors. ” Conformity is defined as a subject’s behavior or attitudes following those of the object” described by Song Guandong and Qinhai Ma in their article “The Psychological Explanation Of Conformity” (Guandong 1367).

A reference group is one that an individual strongly identifies with to the point where the individual adopts the group's ideas, values, and behaviors. There are three types of reference groups: aspirational, associative, and dissociative. An aspirational reference group would be a group that a person is not a member of but aspires to be like. An example would be people who want to be like stars such as young girls who want to grow up and be like Taylor Swift. An associative reference group is a group an individual actually belongs to. An example would be a family or a church. A dissociative group is one that an individual does not identify with or want to be a member of. An example would be a person who is a Democrat and strongly dislikes Republicans.

A reference group is a group that helps us understand or make sense of our position in society relative to other groups (Conley, 2015). In other words, we use these groups as a way to judge others behaviors, thoughts, actions and feelings; then we use these judgements and compare them to ourselves. In one instance or another, we all have had our personal experiences of high school. The first day of freshman year is probably one of the hardest.

As the result, they tend to hold different values and form different social groups based on their need for group distinction (Golding,

I always expected myself to be a cool, sophisticated, James Bond-like boy who always knew the right things to say; but in reality I was an awkward Vietnamese-immigrant boy with a massive communication problem. All my life, I’ve been the quiet kid who thoroughly enjoyed being by himself. In elementary school, I was able to evade any questions about why I would never talk; for one, I had no grasp of the English language until the third grade. However, by the time I entered middle school, English was no longer a mystery, in fact, it became one of my strongest subjects. I was getting smarter, but so were the other kids. Their understanding of societal norms was growing, and what they understood was that I was not a part of the social norm.

Very good example of Singapore's difference of justice, and the fact that you have traveled to various countries, also gives you more experience or prudence over someone who stays local. I have also traveled quite a bit in my military career, and have experienced vast differences in their customs and norms. Many beliefs are passed down through religion, but culture and traditions play a role in the development of the youth. If a social norm means they follow their father or mother's career path, then most would abide by the norms. Instead of them being outcasts.

Comparing ourselves to others is a necessary trait as a member of any society. Comparing yourself to others allows you to gauge where you stand in that group, and if you need to make any changes to conform to the group’s social norm. Throughout life I believe we belong to multiple references groups at any given time. A reference group can be a group of people that you see yourself being apart of, but are not yet completely familiar with. For example if you were going to a new school, you would observe the current student’s as a reference group.

A reference group is people who we want to resemble. When I was a freshman in college I dressed very plain such as a pair of jeans with a basic t-shirt. As the months, went by I started dressing differently such as wearing lipstick, color jeans, nice shirts, etc. Also, I act differently more of a preppy attitude. I was surrounded by a group of people who dress nicely and act preppy. This reference group molded me because I admire their appearances and attitudes.