Page 38 - University English for non-speacalist

Norms are another component of nonmaterial culture. They are all the rules, both written and
unwritten, that guide behavior within the group and cover virtually every aspect individual
behavior. Norms are derived from values. Where harmony is a social value, for example, an
individual member of a group would win social approval if his or her behavior were compatible
with the group's needs and wishes regardless of his or her own individual preferences. Actions
that are regarded as "rocking the boat" would result in social sanctions against the perpetrator of
these acts. Norms, for example, determine what appropriate modes of dress are for going to the
office, for attending a job interview, for playing a sport, and for all the different social functions
that an individual participates in.

Not all norms are of equal importance, and the way to discover the relative importance of a
norm is to examine the penalties that society prescribes for violating it. Penalties for violating a
norm can vary from a mere look of disapproval that is directed towards an individual who
speaks in a loud voice during a piano recital, all the way to the death penalty conferred on
someone who has committed a murder. The norms related to relatively unimportant aspects of
behaviors are called folkways. These include such things as when to eat what meals, what
pieces of cutlery to use a the dinner table, how to greet someone, and what to wear to a wedding
reception. Mores on the other hand are the norms that a group regards as essential to its well-
being and whose violation is punished severely. Theft, treason, public indecency, and murder
are examples of mores.
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