The power of social pressureplease note: this is to be a violation of *social* norms., not personal ones. If you are unclear on what this means please talk to me.
Much of our social behavior is shaped by situational norms. These norms are often unwritten and implicit, but their influence can be quite strong, as we can see by people's reactions when someone violates them. This project is designed to help you gain an increased awareness of the power of these social pressures. You are going to engage in some norm-violating behavior and then analyze both your own and other people's reactions.
The first step is to identify an implicit social norm (rather than an explicit law or rule) about common, everyday behavior. You then need to choose a behavioral action that somehow breaks, violates, or deviates from that norm. This action can often be simple and even subtle, rather than outrageous. Some possible options are listed below; however, you and your class could generate many others.
Appearance
The first thing to remember is that this breaking of a norm is not a personal norm but a social one, sodressing ina manner inwhich you are unacustomed to is not appropriate. It is in accordance with the assignement if you dress ina manner that is not socially appropraite. if you have any questions abotu this, please ask.
Dress in a way that is considered out of place or inappropriate for a particular situation (such as wearing sweats to a formal dance). As another example, one of our students attended her classes and labs while wearing a plastic roller in her hair.
Interpersonal Behavior
When talking to someone, stand either too close (within 1 foot) or too far away (about 3 feet). Try to maintain this distance, even if the other person moves to change it.
When talking to someone avoid making direct eye contact. Instead, look at a particular other place while you are talking, such as over the person's head, at the person's ear, down at the ground, and so forth.
Social Etiquette
Whenever someone says, "How are you?" or "How's it going?" respond with a detailed answer describing your state of health and current physical symptoms, your emotional feelings, recent activities, and so on.
Sing out loud whenever you are riding in an elevator or on a bus with other people.
Whatever behavior you choose, you should do it many times, in several situations. Ideally, you should engage in it for an entire day. This will give you many opportunities to assess people's reactions (including your own) and to note any interesting patterns. For example, reactions may differ as a function of sex, age, locale (on or off campus), type of situation, and so on.
A cautionary reminder: You are being asked to behave in a way that does not fit with an implicit social norm; you are not being asked to break a law or other rules. Further, in accord with ethical principles of psychological research, you should not engage in any behavior that could harm someone else or yourself.
1. What was the implicit social norm that you were trying to violate? Describe your norm-violating actions and the setting in which they occurred.
2. How did people react to you when you violated this norm? Describe both their verbal and nonverbal responses, as well as any patterns you noticed.
Please check the Project guidelines page to answer additional questions. Always do your write up in essay format with proper theory and refeencing.
Discuss
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