Norms are established expectations of society as to how a person is supposed to act depending on the

requirements of the time, place, or situation.

Example:

 There are norms of conduct for doctors, teachers, the armed forces, engineers

Folkways are the patterns of repetitive behavior which becomes habitual and conventional part of living.

 Violations to folkways result to ridicule, raised eyebrows, critical and sarcastic remarks,
disapproval, or embarrassment to those who do not conform.

Examples:

 shaking of hands
 bathing frequently regularly
 keeping one’s lawn cut and orderly
 not drinking liquor in church
 waiting in line

Mores are set of ethical standards and moral obligation as dictates of reason that distinguishes human
acts as right or wrong or good from bad. Mores define what is morally right and morally wrong.

 Violations of mores result in strong disapproval and even severe punishment. Persons who violate
the norms as ostracized, imprisoned, or killed. Conformers to mores as taken for granted, and
acceptance of them is usually without question by most people in a given society.

Examples:

 Before, women were not allowed to smoke or wear pants during formal occasions. Men were
expected to keep their haircut short. These are not expected anymore at present.

Values are anything held to be relatively worthy, important, desirable, or valuable.

 Values define what is right, good and moral.

 By analyzing the norms of a society, one can determine the basic values of that society.

Laws are norms that are enforced formally by a special political organization.

 When someone violates a law, a state authority will impose a sanction, which can be as light as a
payable fine or as severe as imprisonment.

Examples:

 Constitution of any country

 Declaration of human rights
 Traffic laws
 Civil and criminal laws
 City and municipal ordinances
 School policies and regulations
mores: A set of moral norms or customs derived from generally accepted practices. Mores derive from
the established practices of a society rather than its written laws.

folkway: A custom or belief common to members of a society or culture.

Societal norms, or rules that are enforced by members of a community, can exist as both formal and
informal rules of behavior. Informal norms can be divided into two distinct groups: folkways and mores.
Folkways are informal rules and norms that, while not offensive to violate, are expected to be followed.
Mores (pronounced more-rays) are also informal rules that are not written, but, when violated, result in
severe punishments and social sanction upon the individuals, such as social and religious exclusions.

William Graham Sumner, an early U.S. sociologist, recognized that some norms are more important to
our lives than others. Sumner coined the term mores to refer to norms that are widely observed and
have great moral significance. Mores are often seen as taboos; for example, most societies hold the
more that adults not engage in sexual relations with children. Mores emphasize morality through right
and wrong, and come with heavy consequences if violated.

Sumner also coined the term folkway to refer to norms for more routine or casual interaction. This
includes ideas about appropriate greetings and proper dress in different situations. In comparison to the
morality of mores, folkways dictate what could be considered either polite or rude behavior. Their
violation does not invite any punishment or sanctions, but may come with reprimands or warnings.

An example to distinguish the two: a man who does not wear a tie to a formal dinner party may raise
eyebrows for violating folkways; were he to arrive wearing only a tie, he would violate cultural mores
and invite a more serious response.

The social norm, or simply "norm," is arguably the most important concept in sociology. Sociologists
believe that norms govern our lives by giving us implicit and explicit guidance on what to think and
believe, how to behave, and how to interact with others. We learn norms in a variety of settings and
from various people, including our family, our teachers and peers at school, and members of the media.
There are four key types of norms, with differing levels of scope and reach, significance and importance,
and methods of enforcement. These norms are, in order of increasing significance, folkways, mores,
taboos, and laws.

Folkways
Early American sociologist William Graham Sumner was the first to write about the distinctions between
different types of norms in his book "Folkways: A Study of the Sociological Importance of Usages,
Manners, Customs, Mores, and Morals" (1906). Sumner created the framework that sociologists still use
today. Folkways, he wrote, are norms that stem from and organize casual interactions, and emerge out
of repetition and routines. We engage in them to satisfy our daily needs, and they are most often
unconscious in operation, though they are quite useful for the ordered functioning of society.

A common example of a folkway is the practice, in many societies, of waiting in line. This practice brings
order to the process of buying things or receiving services, allowing us to more easily perform the tasks
of our daily lives. Other examples of folkways include the concept of appropriate dress, the practice of
raising one's hand to take turns speaking in a group, and the practice of "civil inattention"—when we
politely ignore others around us in public settings.

Folkways mark the distinction between rude and polite behavior, so they exert a form of social pressure
that encourages us to act and interact in certain ways. However, they do not have moral significance,
and there are rarely serious consequences or sanctions for violating them.

Mores

Mores are more strict than folkways, as they determine what is considered moral and ethical behavior;
they structure the difference between right and wrong. People feel strongly about mores, and violating
them typically results in disapproval or ostracizing. As such, mores exact a greater coercive force in
shaping our values, beliefs, behavior, and interactions than do folkways.

Religious doctrines are an example of mores that govern social behavior. For example, many religions
have prohibitions on cohabitating with a romantic partner before marriage. If a young adult from a strict
religious family moves in with her boyfriend, her family, friends, and congregation are likely to view her
behavior as immoral. They might punish her behavior by scolding her, threatening judgment in the
afterlife, or shunning her from their homes and the church. These actions are meant to indicate that her
behavior is immoral and unacceptable, and are designed to make her change her behavior to align with
the violated more.

The belief that forms of discrimination and oppression, like racism and sexism, are unethical is another
example of an important more in many societies today.
Taboos

A taboo is a very strong negative norm; it is a prohibition of certain behavior that is so strict that
violating it results in extreme disgust and even expulsion from the group or society. Often times the
violator of the taboo is considered unfit to live in that society. For instance, in some Muslim cultures,
eating pork is taboo because the pig is considered unclean. At the more extreme end, incest and
cannibalism are both considered taboos in most places.

Laws

A law is a norm that is formally inscribed at the state or federal level and is enforced by police or other
government agents. Laws exist to discourage behavior that would typically result in injury or harm to
another person, including violations of property rights. Those who enforce laws have been given legal
right by a government to control behavior for the good of society at large. When someone violates a
law, a state authority will impose a sanction, which can be as light as a payable fine or as severe as
imprisonment.