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Breach of Informal Norms

Informal norms are casual behaviors that society members conform to provide guidance and direct behavior, thus bringing order in society. Informal norms are an essential part of society because they allow members to understand each other and create predictable social relationships. Reactions to a breach of informal norms vary depending on the relationship between the two parties in play. The OpenStax textbook states, “First, consider the

elements of a relationship. One is attachment, or the bond that people form with each

other. (OpenStax chapter 4, section 1). For the breaching of informal norms experiment, I decided to take the lift while facing the opposite direction from everybody in the lift. Normally elevator etiquette dictates that people fill it starting from the back as they face the door. I choose the school resource center’s elevator on a Monday because it is usually full of students. People got into the lift and faced the door as they waited for it to move and reach their respective floors. Additionally, people in an elevator tend to maintain silence throughout unless they share s special connection like a friendship. I got into the lift last and faced people in the lift. To make it more interesting, I decided to take another step and plug my earphones and dance like it was commonplace for the activity. However, no music was playing on my phone the whole time. I identified two individuals in the lift and tried to maintain steady eye contact by persistently staring at them and watching their reactions.

The elevator consisted of a total of ten individuals of different genders. Two individuals expressed amusement in my actions. On the other hand, five people, particularly those close to me, expressed discomfort. According to the OpenStax textbook, “what is considered deviant is determined not so much by the behaviors themselves or the people who commit them, but by the reactions of others to these behaviors.” The lady right in front of me removed her phone from her purse started scrolling to distract herself from whatever I was doing and avoid eye contact. The man next to her covered his face with his hands in disbelief and looked down the whole time in the elevator. He avoided eye contact with me because it made him uncomfortable. In this experiment, I broke the informal norm that requires people to face the same direction and not interfere with personal space since it’s a small cubicle and is for a short while. The discomfort and amusement of people in the elevator made my actions feel awkward and out of place.

Shifting the social context and introducing this informal norm in a different physical setting. The breach of the informal norm in the elevator opened my mind and allowed me to realize how society, mainly human behavior, is guided and controlled by unspoken rules. The reactions from the people in the elevator made me feel a little embarrassed. However, I had to see it through and gather as much information as possible through their reactions. It helped me appreciate the presence of unspoken rules in society.