Blog Post #6 - Norm Violation

Blog Post #6 - Norm Violation

Now it's time to get back into the field and DO some sociology! Do remember your detached observation blog from a few weeks ago? This time you are going get the chance to interact with your observed environment.

For this week's blog post, you are going to get a feel for social deviance by performing your own norm violations.

A norm violation is acting out in a way that is different than what you are socially expected to do. When you violate a social norm, people will notice - and they will likely react with surprise, confusion, or become upset! The norm violation project is designed to help you see just how narrow the box of "acceptable behavior is" and how it feels to swim against the stream.

To successfully complete this project, you will want to plan ahead! Pick a venue where you will be visible to others - they can be strangers, friends, or family. Think about the way you are "supposed to behave" in that scene based on your status and role. Then, design a way to obviously defy to social expectations.

Some previous students have done projects like...

• Pretending to have a different status to see how people treat you (e.g. hold up a "will work for food sign," add a fake "baby bump" to simulate pregnancy, speak a different language, or wear a head covering like a hijab.)
• Wearing clothes inappropriate to the scene. (e.g. Fancy dress for fast food or pajamas to the store.)
• Pretending not to know something that you are expected to (using a grocery cart backwards or shoes untied, pretend not to know how to pump gas)
• Walking through a drive-thru fast food lane instead of driving in a car
• Breaking social expectations like standing way too close to people when you talk or never making eye contact with others
• Paying for your purchase with change (or pennies!) instead of cash/card

Once you have your plan, you may want to enlist an assistant to watch how other people react to you. They can stay in the scene before and after you do your norm violation to see how people react. (Sometimes people will pretend to ignore your norm violation and you may think "They didn't notice!" when really they were just too intimidated to confront you.)

Whatever scene/situation you choose be sure that you follow these critical rules:

• Do not put yourself or anyone else in harm's way. I strongly recommend against any norm violation that involves driving, vehicles, or safety. If you distract someone and they cause an injury, you could be accountable.

• Do not commit any illegal acts. I will not post bail, write a letter to a judge, etc.

• Do not act out in a social situation that will permanently harm your social standing. For example, don't embarrass yourself at a social function so that you can never return. It may be safer to try this project in an area that you don't plan to return to. (e.g. Go to the grocery store in the next town over.)

 In your reflection on FlipGrid, please provide these details:

• What was your norm violation. (Where, how did you violate the norm, why did you pick this plan?)
• How did you feel about the violation before, during, and after?
• How did the "audience" in the scene react to your norm violation?
• Did anyone try to correct your behavior through formal or informal social control?

If you truly cannot participate in this assignment due to anxiety or another medical condition, I am willing to consider a situation where you direct another volunteer to break a norm for you. If so, please contact me via email for approval.

I look forward to reading your norm breaking experiences. Remember to be brave in the face of experiencing social control - it's supposed to feel awkward. That's the power of social control!

~MC