Examples of social norms in society. Types of social norms

From the moment of birth to this day, representatives of mankind have come up with many different rules that help in regulating relations in society, the family, at work, etc. Some of them have evolved into centuries-old traditions and customs. With the advent of educational institutions and the introduction of the subject of sociology, these rules and traditions began to be called social norms.

The concept of

Social norms are a model of behavior adopted in society that functions as a regulator of the relationships between people and communities of people. Examples of social norms are traced in the daily behavior of people in society.

Everyone knows, for example, that the appearance of a nude in public is unacceptable, and in some countries even punishable by imprisonment. This rule does not apply only to specially designated places for meetings of nudists (exclusively in countries with a progressive-democratic society), as well as institutions such as saunas. But even such places are divided by gender.

Before considering concrete examples of social norms, it is necessary to determine their characteristics and types. Classification will help to better understand specific patterns of behavior.

Occurrence

The development of social norms is directly related to the development of society. The first community to regulate the issues arising in the process of living together, quite enough rituals. Ritual is one of the first social norms, which is a procedure for performing certain actions in a community.

Customs is considered a more developed form of norms than rituals. Religious norms follow after them. Their formation occurs in the process of comprehension of a man of his insignificance before natural phenomena. There are cults of various deities, the worship of the forces of nature.

Together with customs and religion, the principles of morality appear. And with the emergence of the state system, the first legal and economic norms are being formed.

Classification

Let us highlight, speaking about the main types of social norms, examples of norms of international action. They are closely intertwined and participate in the regulation of relations several at a time.

One of the primary norms of a large-scale nature are political ones. They are expressed in various declarations and charters, regulate relations in the political sphere not only of one state, but also internationally. Examples of social norms of a political nature are forms of power implemented in states. For example, for the UK the monarchy is a social norm.

Economic principles are rules for the distribution of material wealth in society. That is, these norms give birth to social classes. Ideally, the principle of equal division should operate. Wages are an example of this type of norms. Economic rules, like political ones, can operate on the scale of several states and characterize the financial and commodity turnover between them. The remaining species act on a smaller scale, in specific social formations.

Types of social norms. Examples at the scale of one state

Legal norms are the main regulator of relations in the state. They are a set of rules, for the non-fulfillment of which comes punishment in the form of material punishment, administrative responsibility or imprisonment. If the teacher asks: "Give examples of various social norms of the rule of law," the answer is the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation.

Cultural norms regulate the behavior of a person in a society to which he refers by birth or kind of hobbies. If you are asked: "Give examples of social norms of this type", then it is worth talking about the rules that are formed in a person in the course of his life in certain circles. A big role in this formation is played by the state. The more developed the culture of the whole country, the more it has cultural norms. For example, in some Muslim countries a woman is not supposed to appear in a society with an open face - this is a cultural norm.

Public Policy

Examples of social norms in society are diverse, but they identify several global ones. The largest communities are religious organizations. Religious norms serve to regulate relations not only within such communities, but also in relations with organizations and people who do not belong to the same confession. Examples of social norms of this nature are easy to find. The most common are the ceremonies of the wedding and burial of the deceased. To the same kind of norms are relations between the abbot of the monastery and monks, the holy father and parishioners of his church.

Aesthetic norms are historical in nature. They form the concepts of beautiful and ugly. These rules apply not only to man, but also to his actions, as well as to works of art, types of animals, etc. In modern society, aesthetic norms sometimes have a negative impact on a person, his self-confidence, and accordingly, his place in life. This is due to stereotyped thinking about an attractive appearance. As a result, a person who does not fit into the general framework of his appearance or behavior, may not be accepted by a certain society. An excellent example of this is the fairy tale "Ugly Duckling".

Examples of different social norms

There are also rules that are not tied to a particular society or state. These are the norms of morality that form the notions of good and bad. They are formed on the basis of concrete behavior taken as a standard. Some norms of morality are backed up by legal documents. Basically, they are designed for the conscientiousness of man and his moral worth. For immoral behavior follows the condemnation of society, and in some cases, punishment under the law.

The norms of customs and traditions are also historical. They have been established for many centuries and represent a pattern of actions in certain situations. What will be the examples of social norms in this case? Customs means doing something by virtue of a habit, and traditions are values or a pattern of behavior accepted by society and rigorously carried out by its members. Customs and traditions are closely related to cultural norms.

Also, from various social norms, corporate are singled out, which regulate relations between employees of the same structure or members of one club of interests. Such rules are established by community members, they also choose and apply measures of influence on violators.

Rules in family relations

Examples of social norms that regulate family relations, how diverse, that it is very difficult to single out specific ones. The family is controlled by the state, religious organizations and society. And each side tries to direct family relations in its own channel. Sometimes such a number of rules leads to the opposite effect.

If the teacher asks: "Give examples of social norms that affect relationships in the family," answer that these are legal and religious norms, moral norms, traditions and customs. However, do not forget that the other rules also have some influence, because the family is a miniature state with its own political and economic laws. Perhaps, it is for this reason that many young people of this generation are not rushing to get a family. When from all directions a person is shown what he needs to do to look full in the eyes of the public, the desire for any action disappears.

Legalized social rules

Examples of social norms that regulate family relations, which are enshrined in legislation, are not hard to cite. For example, the fundamental event in the life of the family is the marriage. Legislative marriage is regulated by legal norms. They specify the procedure for entering into marriage (filing an application, appointing the date of marriage, issuing documents confirming the marital status), as well as the procedure for divorce (divorce, divorce, division of property, alimony, etc.).

Economic social norms also have a certain impact on family relations. The family income depends on them, as well as the possibility of receiving social benefits. Especially it concerns single-parent families with one parent. In many states they are given additional material assistance to solve financial problems.

These types of norms have a legal basis, and their influence is determined by the ratio of state power to the importance of the institution of the family. For the full development of family relations, such support is necessary. But its selectivity often only hinders this development.

Regulation of family relations by social norms

Great influence on the relations in the family is due to customs and traditions. They begin their action with the decision of one of the couple to make a marriage. The offer of the hand and heart, engagement and other customs form the notion of how the family should be born. And those who do not fit into this framework are often condemned by the public.

Religious norms also have a certain effect on human relations. In the most widespread religion - Christianity - without the wedding and the creation of a family, the birth of children is impossible. Otherwise, the condemnation of the church will follow. These historical circumstances sometimes only interfere with the formation of a new family.

Let's give examples of social norms responsible for the behavior of spouses (norms of morality). For example, betrayal in a marriage is unacceptable only in terms of morality. Legislatively, this is not punished in any way (in democratic states). But condemnation of the public in this case will inevitably lead to the collapse of family relations.

Examples of the impact of social norms on the character of a person

The character of a person largely depends on the traditions of upbringing established in the family, as well as on the norms and rules that operate in the surrounding society. Moral norms should be inoculated from birth. It is a pledge of the formation of concepts for the child from an early age about bad and good behavior.

The opinion of others greatly affects the character of the person. A good attitude of people to themselves adds confidence. And often it happens that a bad attitude is based solely on aesthetic standards. That is, a person for society is unattractive in appearance. This opinion of others can lead to embitterment and the formation of immoral principles.

Modern social norms

With the advent of a huge number of various public organizations, it became necessary to regulate the relations between them and within them. Corporate standards are the latest kind of social norms. As indicated above, they are regulated by representatives of such organizations.

If you are told: "Give examples of various social norms governing relations in modern society," what do you call the first item? It is possible to put boldly on the first place corporate norms. You can not imagine civilized relations without them.