Background:

Social norms are rules of behavior. They inform group members how to interpret a given situation, how to feel about it, and how to behave in it. Social norms influence group members by suggesting which reactions are appropriate, and which are not. There are often very powerful norms on the acceptability of certain behaviors and violations of these norms are enforced socially through social disapproval.

Assignment:

For this assignment, you are encouraged to engage in a breaching experiment where you will validate the existence of a particular social norm by violating it. This could be singing loudly in a public place, whispering when you talk, or some other non-conforming behavior. Answer the questions after completing the breaching experiment. 

Questions:

What is a social norm?
What norm did you pick to violate?

What were peoples reactions?
Were you socially sanctioned? If not, what could you have done differently to get a bigger reaction from others?

What sociological insights did you gain?

Instructions:
For full credit, your answer should be at least one page long or 250 words or more, double spaced, with  your name and date on the top.

Good essays in this class will balance personal opinion with facts. If you state something as a fact, please use a credible source for the information. Common sense is not the same as fact. Please look at the example below to see how to go about these types of statements.

Stated as Fact: “Children with divorced parents are more likely to suffer from anxiety” (Sociology Today: 2020).

Stated as Opinion: “From what I have seen, children with divorced parents are more likely to suffer from anxiety.”