NORMS: WHAT ARE THEY FOR, TYPES, CHARACTERISTICS, IMPORTANCE - GEOGRAFÍA - 2025

The rules serve to control behaviors that can be destructive to others and to maintain the welfare of the general population. Its importance is key both globally and in a specific country, down to the family and personal level. When certain standards are met to avoid negative and harmful behaviors, better results are achieved for everyone.

Possibly you have questioned why in society and in all its possible contexts there are so many rules that tell us how we should behave. In some moments it is even difficult not to break any norm and act as society expects us to act.

It is normal that when you think about this idea you may even feel annoyed, because many times (if not most) we act based on how we have been taught that it was the right thing to do.

When we live together in a group, it is normal for conflicts to arise from that coexistence, in fact, the existence of conflicts is not always a negative thing, since it can contribute positive elements to the group as long as these conflicts know how to manage them properly.

Similarly, there are also conflicts that can harm the group both as a group and individually. This is why establishing an order and guidelines that everyone agrees with is essential for the group. This implies that there is a need for individual and group behavior to be regulated in favor of the harmonious maintenance of the group.

Think that in the world millions of people live together, and that if each one of us did what he wanted at all times, this would mean that sharing the space of our planet was impossible.

And we can not only apply that example to the human species as a group, but to groups to which we belong that are smaller, such as family, school, work, the neighborhood, etc.

What are the standards?

When we speak of social norms, we refer to those guidelines that influence a certain group. These have the function of defining what is correct and what is not.

Social norms regulate the behavior of the members of a certain social group, classifying these behaviors as acceptable or not. In addition, the rules may also vary according to the context or the situation in which we are involved.

If you think about it, almost everything you do throughout the day has a normative influence. Whether at work, family, in the field of couple or with friends. Furthermore, norms determine, guide and predict human behavior.

The norms are internalized and accepted by each one of us and, although there may be some norms that we do not like, we normally feel conformity to them, since one of the bases of the norms is ethics and morality.

It should be added that the fact that there are norms in a group has a unifying effect on it, making the members of the group feel more identified and belonging to the group.

What are the standards for? Importance

They serve to make society work

Norms are an important part of the social system, practically going hand in hand. This is understood in this way because the rules make coexistence with each other possible and more bearable.

Without norms there is no normative order, which, for the social model that we have developed, is of great importance. For example, they serve to avoid chaos in traffic.

They have a function of regulating and guiding behavior

The rules exert control over the conduct of people. They make a person unable to behave as he wants.

This influences at the social level, since by regulating individual behavior, both a care of society as such offered by its members is obtained, as well as the coverage of the needs of society itself.

They maintain the social order

The social order refers to a concept from the social sciences, which refers to the structure of a certain society, given by the hierarchy, the rules and the institutions existing in that society.

When we mention the term structure, we must think at the social level as the skeleton that makes it possible for a whole large group of humans to stay together without chaos reigning.

It should be added that the fact that there are rules in a society does not imply that within it there are no problems of coexistence or behavior of its members, but it does mean that in a rough way society can continue to evolve without self-destruction.

They give cohesion to society

The term cohesion refers to the degree of acceptance and consensus of the components of a certain group, or the perception of belonging that one has to that certain group or specific situation.

Cohesion can measure the intensity of social interaction within the same group. Something like understanding that you are part of the group and that you keep it together.

You should know that in a cohesive group, the people that compose it act in a coordinated way, and that the relationships they maintain between them are better. Groups that enjoy good cohesion, having that coordination can achieve objectives in a simpler way.

In relation to the central theme of the article, at this point it is important to understand that anomie (social disorganization) threatens cohesion.

It should be added that one of the most important factors when it comes to complying with the regulations is the perception that we have of the authoritarian figure that enforces the regulations through reward or punishment.

If the authority also complies with the norm and performs well in controlling behaviors, people will integrate the norm in a more optimal way.

They help to achieve individual self-control

It is about empowering and achieving greater self-control based on the discipline imposed by following the rules.

By following a certain rule that is applicable to everyone, a limit is created not only social, but also individual.

You yourself may not agree with some of the rules that you have to live with every day, although imagine if no one met some rules for disagreeing, the chaos could be terrible.

It is true that there are rules that may have become obsolete, that are difficult to comply with or that make little sense in some contexts, so if you find any of these, you do not have to violate it but you can simply look for a different alternative.

Types of standards

If we used a simple classification to determine the types of rules, the one chosen would be the one that determines that the rules can be included in two different groups:

Legal norms

Are those rules that appear in regulations or official documents. Failure to comply with these types of regulations entails sanctions of various types (such as economic or administrative) of an institutional nature.

A legal rule could be, for example, not stealing.

Social norms

Those that are recognized in a social way are considered in this group. It refers for example to fashion, tradition, customs… etc. Failure to comply with these types of norms does not entail an institutional sanction, although it may affect socially.

A social norm could be for example to be well dressed to a wedding.

Thus, by way of summary, from this first point we can say that a norm is a rule that governs the behavior of people in those social situations in which we participate.

Where are the norms born?

Social norms usually originate from the various institutions that exist. These institutions are the ones that determine what is the appropriate behavior, which is determined by ethics and therefore must follow the norm.

One of the functions of the norms is to ensure that there is social cohesion that allows people to live in harmony.

Compliance with the rules is essential for the monitoring of the same is optimal. Although we must not forget that the fact that the person is satisfied or not, may be conditioned by the individual's own situation and beliefs.

In addition, the society in which we live also conditions the values ​​we have and what we believe is correct or not. So a social norm that works perfectly in one culture may not work in another. Similarly, non-compliance with a rule can have negative consequences for the person.

Punishment is usually applied, although incidentally, punishment has a much lower effectiveness in repeating non-compliance compared to internalizing the rule.

For a standard to be operational and to be met, the following three conditions are required:

1. A high percentage of the population must consciously accept the norm.
2. A high percentage of the population that accepts the norm, takes it seriously and has internalized it.
3. If the rule is not met, the person is punished.

characteristics

Standards must meet five points to be considered by everyone. These points are the following:

They are universal

This means that there is no group or society in the world that does not have a set of rules, since if they were not available, the social group would lack order. Just as no group is exempt from problems and conflicts, no group can be exempt from being governed by rules.

All standards incorporate a value judgment

Norms are usually shared by all members of a certain group. This is related to the fact that in a situation, the behavior that everyone would normally apply is the one expected.

In addition, just as each person behaves, it carries behind a value or moral judgment that will give us the guideline to determine if an action is correct or incorrect.

They are relative

This point refers to the fact that the characteristics of a certain group affect the proposed standards. Norms can be influenced by factors such as culture, age, social role, status, or even profession.

Not all rules are equally important

It is true that all the rules help us to live in greater common harmony, but not all are equally relevant. It is only necessary to look at the example of the punishment that entails the breach of a certain norm with respect to another.

They are internalized by individuals

This indicates that for better compliance with any type of rule, one of the best ways is for people to fully understand why the rule must be met and respected.

Furthermore, when the norms are internalized over time, through the process of socialization, they become part of the individual; thus ensuring that compliance with them occurs naturally.

Once the characteristics of the rules have been explained, where they come from and what they are, it is time to know the function or importance that these rules have in the social environment.

Conclusions

This article is not intended to influence the decisions that people must make to live their life, but to help you understand that living surrounded by other human beings sometimes implies having respect for both yourself and others.

Remember that behind each rule there is an ethical reason that can make you see quickly why it is important to comply with the rules.