Types Of Norms Descriptive Norms - 1501 Words

It has been documented for many years in social psychology that there exists a group behaviour that emerges when individuals are placed in a group. The social norms are the rules and standards of a certain group, which dictate how its members are expected to behave. It is possible to distinguish between 2 types of norms: descriptive norms, which inform us as to how others act in similar situations, and injunctive norms, which specifically indicate how an individual should behave. The individual will tend to conform to the norms of the group, and sometimes even disregard their own opinion or perception in order to fit in, as shown by studies by Acher and others. The question to address here is what causes these norms to form in social groups; and what impact these norms have on the behaviour of the members in various group situations. It is clear that norms are useful in everyday life to a member of a group. For example, they help to dictate how the individual should behave in order to provide moral structure in decision-making, as the individual will tend to trust the judgement of the group as a whole. As humans we have an innate desire to obtain a social identity by associating ourselves with a particular group; this enhances our self-esteem and pride (part of Tajfel’s social identity theory). This leads to the creation of ‘in-group’ vs. ‘out-group’ behaviour, such that an individual will strive to increase the self-image of his own group over other groups. This, amongShow MoreRelatedEssay on Human Behaviour and Social Norms1593 Words   |  7 Pageshead: HUMAN BEHAVIOUR AND SOCIAL NORMS Do social norms influence human behaviour? Human behaviour is the response to given stimuli, which are socially and environmentally affected. This response is something that can easily be influenced and shaped through many personal, situational, social, biological, mental factors. 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