As a social being, norms guide much of human behavior. Norms are informal understandings that govern society’s behaviors. From manners among friends to laws that govern nations, norms help provide order to otherwise chaotic social interactions. With norms varying across cultures and contexts, an important question arises: How many norms does one need to navigate the social world?
What are social norms?
Social norms are shared standards of acceptable behavior in society. They provide expectations for how to act in different social situations. Norms can be formal laws or informal rules that people are expected to follow. There are four main characteristics of norms:
- Informal rules – norms are not official laws, but expected patterns of behavior.
- Shared beliefs – norms exist when a group collectively accepts and expects certain behaviors.
- Context-dependent – norms vary across different cultural and social settings.
- Enforced – norms are maintained through social approval or disapproval.
From table manners to religious practices, norms guide human interactions and shared forms of behavior. They provide social order and shared behavioral expectations.
Why do we need social norms?
Social norms serve several important functions in society:
- Coordination – By following norms, people can coordinate behaviors and interactions. This allows greater cooperation. For example, driving norms facilitate coordinated traffic flow.
- Understanding – Norms provide expectations that help people understand social situations and interactions. People can interpret others’ behaviors through shared norms.
- Order – Norms maintain social order by providing standardized behavioral guidelines that prevent confusion or deviant behaviors.
- Control – Social norms allow groups to control members through approval or disapproval. Norm enforcement compels conformity.
- Identity – Following cultural norms expresses identity with a group. Norms help strengthen group identification and cohesion.
In summary, norms facilitate coordination, provide meaning, maintain order, enforce conformity, and express identity. They are a core building block of social life.
How are norms learned and enforced?
Norms are learned early in life through socialization. As children observe others’ behaviors and absorb societal messages, they internalize norms that guide future social conduct. This norm socialization continues into adulthood as people join new groups and settings. The main agents of norm learning are:
- Parents
- Schools
- Peers
- Community groups
- Media
- Authority figures
Once learned, norms are enforced through social reactions to violations. Enforcement occurs through:
- Direct social sanctions – verbal or nonverbal disapproval for norm violations.
- Reputational sanctions – damage to a violator’s public image or status.
- Exclusion sanctions – denying group membership for norm violations.
- Internal sanctions – guilt or shame for violating internalized norms.
The prospect of social disapproval compels people to adhere to norms and avoid deviance. Even without direct enforcement, internalized norms still exert control through feelings of shame or guilt at the thought of violating them.
How many norms exist?
There is no definitive count of all norms across all cultural and social contexts. However, we can estimate a range:
- Broad societal norms – Each nation has hundreds of norms regarding etiquette, conversations, hygiene, customs, etc.
- Cultural group norms – Each cultural group has dozens of norms regarding values, practices, traditions, etc.
- Organization norms – Each school, workplace, team has dozens of behavioral norms.
- Interpersonal norms – Each relationship has several small-scale norms.
- Context norms – Each social context (church, gym, bar, etc.) has setting-specific norms.
With many groups and contexts, the average person navigates hundreds or thousands of norms. And norm sets differ between people and settings.
Do I need to know all norms?
It is impossible for any one person to know all societal norms. But people do not need to memorize an exhaustive norm list. Instead, people learn norms in three ways:
- Socialization – We absorb norms through childhood socialization and subsequent group experiences.
- Context cues – Social settings offer cues (e.g., behaviors, signs, etiquette guides) that reveal context-specific norms.
- Trial and error – When unsure about norms, people cautiously test behaviors and adjust based on others’ reactions.
So rather than mastering every norm, people rely on early socialization, contextual cues, and trial and error. These provide sufficient norm familiarity for most daily situations.
How many norms are necessary?
The number of norms people need to learn depends on their:
- Social roles – More norms must be learned for roles with greater responsibility or interaction.
- Group memberships – People in more groups and contexts must manage more norm sets.
- Cultural experience – Exposure to diverse cultures requires knowing different cultural norm sets.
- Conformity level – Greater emphasis on norm conformity compels learning more norms in detail.
- Social confidence – Lower confidence leads people to meticulously learn norms to avoid mistakes.
While each person’s required norms vary, research suggests people need to know at least:
- 20 core societal norms around ethics, manners, customs, etc.
- 10-20 key cultural group norms related to shared values, practices, etc.
- 5-10 norms per frequent social context (work, school, gym, etc.)
- 5+ norms per close relationship
This equates to 50-100+ norms for most individuals. But required norms can range from 20-200+ depending on individual factors.
Can too many norms be problematic?
Yes, several issues can emerge from too many norms:
- Norm confusion – Contradictory norms across contexts create uncertainty about appropriate behaviors.
- Norm conflicts – When norms from different groups clash, people struggle to balance competing norms.
- Reduced autonomy – Too many strict norms can limit freedom, choice, and personal expression.
- Decreased belonging – Having fewer shared norms with others reduces feelings of belonging.
A personalized approach is best: Focus on understanding the norms of one’s closest groups. See the table below for an example:
| Key Group Membership | Important Norm Examples |
|---|---|
| Family | Respect elders, spend holidays together |
| Peers | Use trendy slang, participate in viral fads |
| Company | Collaborate across teams, avoid politics |
| Religious community | Attend weekly services, volunteer, pray |
Learning the norms of one’s core groups provides sufficient behavioral guidance without becoming overwhelmed by norms across all of society.
How can norms improve or deteriorate?
Norms evolve over time. Several factors influence whether norms improve or deteriorate in society:
- Education – Greater education encourages reasoning through norms rather than blindly following them.
- Diversity – Exposure to diversity helps improve damaging norms around prejudice or discrimination.
- Social movements – Movements bring awareness to outdated norms in need of change.
- Politics – Laws can formally shape norms by codifying standards into legislation.
- Technology – New technologies often require developing appropriate etiquette norms around their use.
- Globalization – Cross-cultural interaction spreads beneficial norms while also disrupting traditional practices.
While norms provide order, they risk becoming outdated or harmful. Progress requires continually assessing and evolving norms when appropriate. Shared norms move society forward when they provide reasonable standards that maximize freedom and well-being for all.
Conclusion
Norms guide human interactions across all levels of society. The average person navigates between 50-200 behavioral norms depending on individual factors. While norms can sometimes over-restrict, they remain necessary for providing social order and shared understandings. At their best, norms facilitate cooperation, meaning, and group identity. However, maintaining effective norms requires education and willingness to thoughtfully evolve traditions over time. With mindful shaping, norms can maximize both individuality and social cohesion in an ethical, progressive society.
