Public Library Social Norms

Paper Summary:

This paper examines a number of the social norms exemplified in a particular public location. The writer was chosen to observe social interaction in a common public library. Over the course of the approximate hour that the writer spent studying the library's patrons and personnel, several behavioral patterns emerged. It became apparent that certain types of behavior were acceptable, while others appeared to produce annoyance or other forms of sanction. All of the interactions, however, were highly specific to the public library setting; put elsewhere, certain actions that produced sanctions would be perfectly acceptable, while others simply would not fit. It is important to note that the patterns observed remain reasonably unofficial codes of conduct and that adherence to them is relatively implicit. Therefore, violations of these social norms were more likely to be overlooked, depending upon the individual's familiarity with them; age, for example, tended to be one of the most influential variables. Overall, the brief examination of the public library as a social setting revealed a number of facts that often tend to be overlooked or taken for granted.

From the Paper:

"A social norm is, essentially, a guideline dictating appropriate behavior dependent upon the social context. Generally, "Social norms theory states that behavior is often influenced by how individuals perceive that other members of a social group behave." So, these norms are created and perpetuated by individuals' interpretations of how others act, in combination with their desires to adhere to common practices. Collectively, these perceptions come together to formulate specified methods of procedure for certain social situations. Often times, sociologists define the most iron-clad form of customary behavior to be "mores"; these constitute "must behaviors, the basic patterns of ideas and acts of a people." These mores are often backed up by more formal rules or laws within a particular society. More unofficial than both norms and mores are folkways. These tend to be, "Behaviors which are construed as somewhat less compulsive than mores of the same society, and do not call for a strong reaction from the society if violated." In other words, folkways are behaviors that are generally looked upon with favor when held to, but are not obligatory in their nature."

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