Elements of Culture 2

Norms, Sanctions, Values

What are your feelings when you see these graduates hanging around at the beachside park?

Objectives• To gain a deeper understanding of how norms,

sanctions and values maintain behavior within a society.

• Degrees of seriousness: mores vs folkways

• A deeper understanding of societal change.

• Cultural Integration and Variation (part 3)

Preview: Topics of Discussion

• Cultural Norms Formal (Mores) & Informal (Folkways)

• Acceptance of NormsNorms in conflict / exceptions / change

• Sanctions and Rewards

• Values

• Cultural Integration (in part 3)

• Cultural Variation (in part 3)

Norms• Deeply established standards of behavior

maintained by a society.

N. America – Young people make life decisions (study / career path)

Japan – Respect for the elderly.

China – Criticizing the gov’t is rare.

• The intricacies of norms are widely shared and understood by all members of a society.

N. America – People are expected to remain quiet in a theatre.

Therefore an Usher can enforce this and are expected to.

Depends on film and audience though (not in Rocky Horror!)

Serious films and plays this norm is insisted upon.

In N. America, break the quiet norm in this fun Teenage movie it

is doubtful that anyone will say much. Maybe “shhhhh”.

Make noise in this serious, political film with historical significance andstrangers will verbally tell you to adjust you behavior.

Classification of Norms: Formal vs. Informal

1. Formal NormsNorms that have been formally written down and offenders face strict punishment.

Formalized norms in many countries become law and have very precise definitions of what is considered proper and improper behavior.

ex. Guidelines for meeting a Major at university and rules for card games are other examples of formalized norms. They are written down with precise regulations.

Classification of Norms: Formal vs. Informal

2. Informal NormsGenerally understood norms, but not precisely recorded.

Standards of proper dressTaboo subject matterAttitude towards being late

Deviating from these norms will not get you thrown in jail, but may lead a to a bad reputation or in being talked about by others.

Social Norms & Impression Management

Classification of Norms: Mores vs. Folkways

3. Mores

Mores are norms that are regarded as being highly necessary to the well being of the overall society.

They are the most cherished principles of a people. They demand obedience and breaking them will result in severe penalties.

murder, treason, theft, fraud, corruption, abuse

Mores are most likely to be formalized and become laws.

Classification of Norms: Mores vs. Folkways

4. Folkways

Norms that govern everyday behavior amongst members of a society. They shape daily life of a culture's people.

Japan: ‘Meishi’ is central to the introduction process and essential in business. Recipient is expected to take time to examine the info and make a comment proves this examination has occurred. Given out even in social situations

A breach – stuffing it in the pocket quickly, or not concluding with ‘meishi’ is insulting.

Folkways are synonymous with behavior etiquette

Meishi exchange in Japan. Very important for foreigners engaged in international business.

Must take time to look – and make comment.

Folkways: reinforcing patterns of behavior

Many societies have and use folkways to reinforce patterns of dominance: male dominance or dominance of a social class.

In traditional Buddhist regions of South East Asia, for example,

Women do not sleep above men on sleeper trains

Women are not on higher hospital floors than men

On clothe lines, women's clothes are hung lower than men’s.

(Bulle, 1987)

The darker brown countries are likely to have Folkwaysthat reinforce male dominance.

Countries of light shade will have folkways and mores that facilitate gender equality. In N.A., they do not indicate gender (or

any person details) on their CVs and hiring, or firing cannot be based on gender (or race) or heavy sanctions are enforced.

Acceptance of Norms: weak enforcement

Norms (mores & folkways) are not followed in all situations, nor by all members of a society. Some evade a norm because they know it is weakly enforced.

Ex. In the N.A. teen drinking is a major social issue.

The pressure from a peer group to

conform is far

outweighed by the

insignificant sanction

if caught.

Can you think of a formal norm (a More) thatis evaded in this region daily because we all

know that enforcement is minimal?

Illegal parking. It should receive a fine.

It is against the law. So, it is a more, not a norm.

Acceptance of Norms: conflict

Norms are often violated when they conflict.

Situation: You hear a screams of panic coming from you neighbors' flat. Someone is being assaulted.

Norm #1 – The norm of privacy and minding one’s own business.

Norm #2 – Assisting a victim of violence by intervening or calling the police.

What would you do? Either way you are evading one norm and

accepting the other.

Acceptance of Norms: exceptions

Regardless of a norm’s enforcement, sanctions or presence of conflict there can be an acceptable exception.

This means under differing circumstances, the same action can make someone a hero or a villain. In clip – is 69 yr old Herlan McQuearry a hero or a villain for murdering someone?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfQc8-NyXZw&feature=related

Acceptance of Norms: widely accepted

• Some norms are so widely accepted that there is no need to enforce them or reinforce them.

The best example of this is - Cannibalism

Unless one is mentally deranged, or part of an extremely exotic Cult, one is not going to eat people. There is no need to tell people not to do this as this sins so widely accepted.

Norms: Acceptance of Change

A culture’s Norms may change as societal conditions change, such as with,

Political situations, Economic climate, Social conditions

The modern feminist movement in the West is a good

example of social change that has led to a change in cultural norms that reinforce increased gender equality.

Norms: Acceptance of Change

As support for a culture’s traditional norms

weakens, people start to feel free to violate them

and when identified as doing so, these people are

less likely to receive serious negative sanctions,

which in turn creates a catch 22 (a snowball

effect), or in other words, momentum for change.

A Norm in Change: British ColumbiaIn Vancouver Canada judges no longer allow social marijuana

usage cases in their court rooms, police no longer feel it is worth the paper work and the general public does not view

social use as an issue that requires stiff negative sanctions, but they demand stiffer sanctions on drinking and

driving.

Vancouver Marijuana

Cafe

Vancouver Marijuanaprotest against sanctions

Use in public is not a rare sight as sanctions are so insignificant.

Sanctions: Negative Penalties for your conduct regarding a social norm

Sanctions are what happens when people are detected of violating a culture’s shared norms. Such penalties as:

Fines

Threats

Imprisonment

Stares of Contempt

Sanctions: Positive (Rewards) Rewards for conforming to a social norm

The label ‘sanction’ has highly negative connotations and therefore positive sanctions has its own word – rewards

Rewards for being detected of conforming to a social norm may include:

A pay raise

A promotion

A medal or an award

Words of praise

A pat on the back

Sanction: Detection

Sanctions must be detected, or observed by someone with the

power to provide the

sanction – or it will

not happen.

Sanction and Norms: a connection

Norm infraction: You show up to a job interview in jeans

Sanction: You do not get the job. (and a funny look)

Norm infraction: You don’t put coins in your parking meter.

Sanction: You get a parking ticket (fine).

The Correlation

Sanctions associated with formal norms (written down / codified) tend to be formalized and informal norms tend to

receive informal sanctions.

Sanctions: improper application

There is (as we all know) the possibility of a person being levied with undeserved penalties and rewards.

Once, in Europe if a women was merely called a witch,

she was burned to death. So many

Were innocent.

Madonna's famous 1986 World Cup ‘Hand of God' Goal was rewarded through being allowed and in helping Argentina win.

Sanctions: Do they reflect Culture?

The United States has the most advanced fire prevention technology and the best trained (and paid) fire fighters, yet this society has the worst fire death rate in the industrialized world. (McMillan, 1995)

How can this be?

Sanctions: Do they reflect Culture?• In the US sanctions on unintentional negligence causing

fire/death is extremely low. ‘Accidents’ get almost nothing in the way of sanctions!

2,000,000 unintentional severe burns per year (US)

5,000 deaths from unintentional fire per year (US)

All ‘accidents’ with little to no sanctions.

• In Japan and Europe, sanctions for unintentional fire-death are severe. Up to life for smoking in bed, for leaving a pan on the stove or for overloading electrical circuits if you cause fire and mortally wound someone.

Why are sanctions so low for such serious cases of negligence ?

Sanctions: Do they reflect Culture?

US (and Western culture) has strong norms surrounding privacy in the home – especially in the US which was founded on liberty and freedom and with high value on private property. Sanctions regarding what is done in the privacy of one’s home seems to be held in high regard even when one's actions in private, (such as smoking in bed) endangers or kills others.

YES! The entire fabric of norms and sanctions in a culture reflects the culture’s values and priorities. The most

cherished values will have the strongest sanctions where less critical values will have light and informal sanctions.

Values

Although we all have our own set of personal goals and ambitions, one’s culture includes a general set

of objectives for its members

Values – collective conceptions for what

is considered good desirable or proper in

a society. As well as what is considered

bad, undesirable or improper.

You may have a goal to get a certain degree, but your culture influences you in your opinion about weather an education s desirable or not.

Values

• Values can be specific

honoring one’s parents, owning a home

• Values can be general

health, democracy, love

• Values influence our behavior and serve as criteria for evaluating the actions of others.

Health – unhealthy, educated - uneducated (etc.)

Norms – Sanctions - Values

There is usually a direct relationship between a culture’s norms, sanctions and their values.

Example

A culture that places high value on marriage

Will have norms and high sanctions on adultery

A culture that places high value on private property

Will have norms and high sanctions against Theft and vandalism

Values: Do they change?

• A culture’s values may change, but tend to remain relatively stable during a person’s lifetime.

• As previously mentioned – a society's non-material culture is difficult to change and change in this area is far slower than with material culture.

• A sway in a culture’s core values can be seen over time, but the change is hard to observe while it is in progress due to the slow pace of change.

Values: making similar societies unique

Lipset (1990) Continental Divide looked into value differences between Canada and the US. – two seeming

very similar societies.

US more religious than Canadians

US more moralistic and conservative towards sex and marriage.

Canada greater concern for older society

Canada favor a stronger role of government

US more suspicious of ‘big’ business (& big gov’t)

These differing values of course lead to differing norms and sanctions

These values differences lead to unique US norms/sanctions regarding gays in the military.

• In 993 Bill Clinton lifted this ban in the US Army to strong opposition both inside and outside the military.

Today only concealed gays can serve – not open

• One year earlier (1992) Canada lifted this ban with national applause and support.

• Out of all the US allies only three have such a ban; Great Britain, Portugal and Greece.

US debate on allowing openly gay men and lesbian women to serve in the military.

Intense US anti-gay military protest

When Denmark's Air Force General (from another

‘Western’ country) was asked about this debate in the US. He

said, “I don’t understand why you

have to debate it….Nobody cares about it”.

(Lancaster, 1992: 14)

Therefore, values shape societies!

In many countries personal profit and owning one’s own property is a core value shaping society.

In Papua New Guinea contribution to public good is more valued than one’s own profit and personal land.

Several people hold different rights to the same piece of land, such as

Dwelling rightsHunting rightsFishing rightsCeremonial rights