The idea of social norms and common beliefs have become part our life, which are causing people to think similarly in making a decision. “Fit into the society” is the term that runs deeply in my minds because acting differently seems unacceptable in my country. Therefore, majority of people’s beliefs and identities are scripted and shaped by norms relate to peers, community, and culture. When taking a moment to reflect on this society, we would realize that our biggest desire is to be recognized by our peers. In fact, it is true that human behavioral norms are established in groups and can influence more people over a time.
The criminal justice system is a set of legal and social institutions for enforcing the criminal law in accordance with a defined set of procedural rules and limitations. This system is designed to protect communities and people of the world. Just like any organization, the criminal justice system faces issues that interfere with building relationships among employees. Legal issues hinder an organizations ability to be unified and successful. Ethics is particularly important for those who are in a position of power and prominence, as these individuals have the greatest influence on society.
Social order enables individuals to live together with understandings of the rules and expectations, that are imagined, and practised in their social existence. We live in a society of shared norms with a clear understanding of what is ok, reading the signals others give and behaving appropriately. This social order is a fundamental aspect that is of interest to social scientists who study many types of order as they coexist, interact and change. Social order is constructed and shaped by society, therefore there can be many different types of order within different environments and cultures, as well as different social orders which co-exist in the same society. There can also be different types of order within the same social groups and individuals can change and adapt, choosing an order to fit in with their needs at the time.
Our hypothesis was proven right because breaking a social norm is considered doing something not normal in society. Within our society, norms are based on a general consent of what are accepted as normal actions or behaviors to the whole society. The social norm that we broke fell into the appearance value, which would be considered a folkway. Folkways are the accepted ways of behavior; they are norms to which we conform because it is expected to do so in our society. Going into the mall with a facial mask and two rollers on our hair was intended to breaking a folkway because it lacked moral significance and our experiment did not have serious consequences.
The most obvious weakness of both the Hobbesian and Lockean justifications for obedience is that we have never explicitly consented to be ruled by a state and obey its laws. This puts the legitimacy of the state at risk. You may argue that voting implies a tacit consent to be governed, as voting is voluntary it would seem that those who vote would be accepting the authority. You could also argue that there is no need for proof of consent and that it is enough to have hypothetical consent as it may be enough that consent would be rational. This is the most likely as Hobbes justifies the state by explaining that as humans are by nature are selfish, unsocial creatures driven by two needs: survival and personal pleasure.
He lectures them on ethics and morals uses these speeches to not only influence the characters, but to also influence the audience’s perceptions on society. We see from the reactions of the characters in the play, a spectrum of different reactions that will often parallel to that of the attitudes in upper class societies of the time. These notions of a community being interconnected and the effect of responsibility are commonly reflected in powerful lessons taught by the inspector. These statements include “We do not live alone… We are responsible for each other”. Also in this play the idea of responsibility is often questioned.
The Power of Norms According to our textbook, social norms are established standards of behavior that are maintained by a society. Norms can be broken down into categories of formal and informal norms, as well as mores and folkways. Some norms are more strictly enforced, while others are simply understood and don’t need to be implemented with force. Norms are important because they help to maintain social order within a particular society. They can also be what distinguishes one culture from another.
Every society has its own distinctive norms or shared values regarding acceptable and unacceptable behaviour that help govern appropriate behaviour. Social control through a process of socialization to the dominant standards of culture can account for how society brings about the acceptance of basic social norms and for preventing deviant behaviour through informal and formal sanctions. ”, (Schaefer & Haaland, 2009, p. 159) As we are socialized to society’s norms and values of what is acceptable behaviour we internalize such norms as valid and desirable; “we are socialized both to want to belong and to fear being viewed as different or deviant.” (Schaefer & Haaland, 2009, p. 164) In Canada as well as around the world, people are highly concerned about the opinions of others, social acceptance and the fear of rejection is an enormous motivation to conform to acceptable behaviours for most of us. In the case of having a law that would identify an individual who has previously been convicted of impaired driving through a Special License Plate that would be visible to the community, would play on our fears of being rejected and being publicly viewed as deviant. It would be considered a form of informal social control that has both advantages and disadvantages to its effectiveness.
With just our human brain, we could never be as evolved as we are now without the impact of society. The memories that we experienced during childhood and the way that we were raised do affect our behaviors, but they all tie into the bigger picture of societal impact. Our parents and the environment that we grew up in were all impacted by society’s standards. The expectations that society creates shaped our behaviors as human beings the most, more than the individuality of our minds. Even though our brain are created different (cognitive) and we still want to personalize things, we still have to follow society’s laws and direction if we want to have a stable and safe life.
Poverty and inequality exist in every developed culture and often are only patched in order for society to continue upwardly. Poverty and inequality in the United States exists for many reasons; reasons that very from the prospective lens. Interpretive theories in particular ask us to question our reality and its constructs. Interpretive theories require us to looks at the world as a social realm, one that we created and constantly change. Interpretive theories study the relationship between power and the construction of social roles as well as the invisible collection of patterns and habits that make up domination, (Delgado &ump; Stefanic, 2001).