what is the importance of norms,their place in society ?

Question

and how their perception relates to concepts such as ethnocenthism,cultural relativism.

Answer 1

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Social norms and life course events:
A topic for simulation?
Francesco C. Billari, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germanty
Position paper – not for quotation or circulation
WORKSHOP ON NORMS AND INSTITUTIONS IN MULTI-AGENT SYSTEMS
The so-called life course approach (Giele and Elder, 1998) has contributed to the development of
interdisciplinary theory and analytical tools in social sciences. Since its very inception, the importance
of norms — or internal timetables — in shaping the life course of individuals has been stressed. The
basic idea is that major decisions in the life course are influenced by social norms — and their
accompanying sanctions — existing in the social networks people belong to. This view does not
necessarily imply that behaviour is determined completely by social norms. Other factors may also
play a role, but social norms are certainly expected to contribute significantly to the explanation of
behaviour. Very limited empirical research has however been conducted on the topic. Researchers
have usually limited themselves to assuming the existence or non-existence of life-course related
norms rather than examining the issue. And in general, the very possibility of empirically studying life
course norm has been challenged.
Social norms and life course events: empirical studies – definition and implementation in survey
research
A broad consensus exists that past work on social norms is not very useful in understanding the
importance of norms in shaping the life course in contemporary societies. Modell (1997) argues that
the idea of age norms “has proven so attractive that social and behavioural scientists have tended to
accept it with inadequate specification and empirical underpinning”. Elder (1992) states that “we still
lack knowledge of age expectations in large populations concerning events in the life course. Study of
the normative foundation of the life course deserves far more attention than it has received so far”.
One of the few publications that have touched upon the issues raised by Elder is a monographic issue
of The Gerontologist in 1996. Billari and Micheli (1999) provide an additional study.
The concept of norm often remains ill defined and ambiguous in the literature. Billari and Micheli
(1999) for empirical purposes, define norms as statements:
a. Related to the necessity (prescription), possibility (permission), or impossibility (proscription) of
undertaking certain behaviours.
b. Sustained by sanctions.
c. Characteristic of a certain group of actors.
They distinguish three broad categories of social norms concerning the life course, i.e. age,
sequencing and quantum norms.
In sociological theory, “(age) norms are prescriptions or proscriptions about behaviour in the
form of “should” and “should not”; they are supported by consensus; and they are enforced through
various mechanisms of social control, particularly social sanctions - positive, to keep people “on
track”, and negative, to bring straying individuals “back into line”(Settersten and Mayer, 1997)”. It is
possible to distinguish between appropriate ages or optimal age norms, and upper and lower limit ages
for specific events (defined as ‘cultural age deadlines’ by Settersten and Hagestad, 1996a,b or ‘goal
deadlines’ by Heckhausen, 1999). Such norms have so far been the most extensively studied on life
course events.
Sequencing norms concern the order in which two (or more) events occur in the life course.
Heckhausen (1999) states that future research on social norms within the life course framework has to
focus on sequencing prescriptions. They have largely been neglected in the recent literature on norms
on life course events.
Quantum norms refer to the number of times a certain event should or should not be
experienced. Again, it is possible to distinguish between an appropriate number and upper and lower
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limits. One of such quantum norms, i.e. norms with respect to the number of children, has been
extensively studied in demography.
Sanctions: norms vs. scripts
The ideas of individuals about the life course do not necessarily have to be sustained by sanctions.
Even if no sanctions are attached to them, such ideas may still be fundamental in shaping the life
course of individuals, by providing internal calendars or scripts that orient behaviour. From a
developmental psychology perspective, Heckhausen (1999) states that the effect of social norms may
have been internalised in Western societies, and this renders obsolete any need for external societal
enforcement. She concludes that “life-course patterns would be expected to have become increasingly
regulated by internalised norms about age-appropriate behaviour, age-graded events and transitions,
and age-sequential rules (e.g. you must finish school first before you can have a family) as societal
regulation became more lenient.” Such age-calendars may even include ideas regarding the length of
life. The notions of ‘norms’ and ‘scripts’ are not necessarily mutually exclusive. People may hold
general ideas about the suitable timing and sequence of life-course events, and at the same time
sanction only transgressions of specific age and sequence norms.
Social norms and life course events: an agent-based perspective
There has been growing interest in the study of social norms within the field of computer simulation of
artificial societies. Such developments most certainly deserve some attention on the part of researchers
interested in demographic behavior. Norms can be implemented in simulation as built-in constraints
(which is the less interesting view for our approach), as built-in ends (goals), or as built-in obligations
(Conte and Castelfranchi, 1995a, 1995b; Saam and Harrer, 1999).
The agent-based perspective seem to be interesting, because a) little doubt exist on the
importance of social norms and scripts on life course events; b) large empirical evidence is available
on the actual ages, sequencing and quantum of life course events; c) one can build experiments based
on multi-agent systems to help implementing in a consistent way norms and scripts in theories of life
course behaviours.
References
Billari F.C., Micheli G.A. (1999), “Social norms and demographic events in contemporary Western
societies: can we learn from the Italian case?”, paper presented at the Workshop on Social
Interaction and Demographic Behaviour, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research,
Rostock.
Conte R., Castelfranchi C. (1995a), Cognitive and social action, UCL Press, London.
Conte R., Castelfranchi C. (1995b), “Understanding the functions of norms in social groups through
simulation”, in Gilbert N., Conte R. (Eds.), Artificial societies. The computer simulation of social
life, London, UCL Press.
Elder G.H. Jr. (1992), “Life Course”, in Borgatta E.F., Borgatta M.L. (Eds.), Encyclopedia of
Sociology, Macmillan, New York.
Giele J.Z., Elder G.H.Jr. eds. (1998), Methods of Life Course Research. Qualitative and
Quantitative Approaches, Sage, Thousand Oaks.
Heckhausen J. (1999), Developmental Regulation in Adulthood. Age-Normative and Sociostructural
Constraints as Adaptive Challenges, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Modell J. (1997), “What Do Life-Course Norms Mean?”, Human Development, 40: 282-286.
Saam N.J., Harrer A. (1999), “Simulating Norms, Social Inequality, and Functional Change in
Artificial Societies”, Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, 2, 1,
.
Settersten R.A., Hägestad G.O. (1996a), “What’s the Latest? Cultural Age Deadlines for Family
Transitions”, The Gerontologist, 36, 2, 178-188.
Settersten R.A., Hägestad G.O. (1996b), “What's the latest? II. Cultural Age Deadlines for Educational
and Work Transitions”, The Gerontologist, 36, 5, 602-613.
Settersten R.A., Mayer K.U. (1997), “The Measurement of Age, Age Structuring and the Life
Course”, Annual Review of Sociology, 23, 233-261.

Answer 2

Social norms are the "glue" of society in that they spell out what is acceptable social behavior and what isn't. They are what gives a nation its national identity through the concept of cultural ralativism-understanding a people from the framework of their culture, that is- its norms and mores. If a nation is politically and socially coherent in terms of these concepts, and unified as a result, their culture becomes the yardstick by which other cultures are judged : their norms, mores, values, traditions etc. This phenomena is known as ethnocentrism and usually leads to a negative us versus them mentality in terms of these concepts. An extremely relevant example of this is the current cross-perceptions between American culture and middle east culture. The two have clashed in such a manner that it goes beyond mere soldiers fighting in the streets-it has also become a war of cultures.

Answer 3

It gives us an idea of what is acceptable
Also developmental norms allows us to hold ourselves up to an expected pattern so we can see how we are progressing
It also helps us to know when we need help
eg If a child is not hitting its expected target by a certain age then we can look at other ways to help them to achieve it or find out if there are underlying problems such as a disability that is holding them aback - we can then help that child to cope with that disability and flourish the the best of their ability

Answer 4

Actually norms have more relative importance in porticalisus than they have in societal importance of any cultural relativism of modern society. The concept that norms are important to society is a misplaced perception of those who would limit the spirit man in the name of conceptual relationships. In actuality, norms are of no more importance than smoke is to a fire, exhaust is to an engine and noise is to a thunderstorm. A norm is basically established by those who have failed on their journey to perfection or by the attainment of a goal so simple that in itself is the norm.

Answer 5

I keyed in on your use of the word "perception". Perception is a filter that effects how we interpret that which we see, hear, or otherwise sense.

For example I am a man with long hair. My long hair goes against a social norm that being that men should have short hair. Some will view me as a convict or a drug addict because of their own biases, while others will just see a man with long hair and attach no negatives.

Social norms are a mixed bag... some good some biased. For example cutting in line goes against a social norm and I support this norm because cutting in line is rude. But then to go back to my long hair those who judge me simply because I have long hair are biased and wrong to stereotype me just for my having long hair.

Answer 6

Sometimes norms are good because they give us boundaries and keep us from extreme behaviour. Each social group has their own idea of norms and social mores so it can have strong benefits in terms of allowing people to have a strong sense of bonding with that group. It gives you a strong identity and sense of purpose in being with that group. Sometimes norms are bad because they might stifle human potential or cause pain. They can also cause people to become ethnocentric and not relate to other groups. It's sometimes difficult for people to relate to groups with very different norms as we often see in the Western world vs. the Middle East/Muslim model.

Answer 7

I believe there absolutely must be some form of "acceptability" in human behavior, otherwise my noisy neighbors, their loose animals, their unsupervised children can do whatever they choose with no regard as to how it affects ME!

Answer 8

norms snorms!!!!

as long as you don't exceed your own right to the right of others then you are not doing anything wrong


F U C K THE NORMS!!!!!