Handicap Scooters….Disabled or Just Plain Lazy

Norms are rules and expectations that guide the behavior of the people of a society.

Normative behavior is expected in every culture. In our society for example it is expected that

we have the right to freedom of speech and that we can dress in styles and fashions that we

choose. In another society however these actions would be considered violations of the norms

because their society does not follow the same pattern of norms as our American society. This

does not make those actions wrong or strange, only different compared one to the other.

Important norms in a society apply everywhere and at all times. Children for example are

expected to behave and listen to their parents no matter what situation they are in. The most

important norms in our society are protected by laws. These types of norms, such as thou shall

not kill and thou shall not steal, if broken causes the law to step in and take action. Violations of

these norms could put a person in jail or sentence some other punishment whereas violation of a

less important norm could just lead to a disappointed look or glance.

 We may not intentionally conform to the ways of our society but it is obvious that these rules give us some order and predictability to our lives. The reactions from others help control the behavior of people in society. Sanctions, which are reward or punishment for following or deviating from custom behavior, are critical in keeping people operating on standard behavior. It could be as simple as an accepting smile or a shake of the head. This is a system of social control, which is the various means by which the members of a society encourage conformity to norms.

As we learn the norms of our culture and society we also gain the capacity to evaluate our

own behavior; such as by doing something wrong can lead to the feelings of either shame or guilt. These are also elements that help control the behavior of a society and bring balance into a culture.

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It was difficult at first to decide which norm in our society I wanted to violate. Then

unfortunately I injured my knee in a volleyball match and this limited me even more in my

choices for violations. However, the more I thought about it I saw that I could use my misfortune

to my advantage. Walking around on crutches for a weekend I obviously already stuck out in the crowd, but I wanted to do something a little different. If I got rid of my crutches and did not have to walk around I would look like any normal healthy ...

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