Experiment: Breaking Social Norms

When this idea for extra credit came up it really caused some mixed thoughts for me on the subject of social norms. The reason for these thoughts were the reactions of other students in class as to what societal norms they would break, and the amusement or satisfaction they would have in breaking those norms. For the most part, it appeared that the consensus was to, in some way, break a social norm that would reveal them as a nonconformist, or as an individual. With that it mind, I really began to reflect on why it is so important for people to be noticed, and how especially in the individualistic culture of the United States, it is celebrated to be a “breaker of the rules” or a nonconformist.
Essentially out of those thought I came up with an interesting thesis. This thesis was that people want to feel that they are being individualistic and non-conformist when in fact, by asserting these whims, they are actually conforming to the societal expectations, and stereotypes of how they should act.
Case in point, if a check out clerk at a grocery store continually asks, “How are you doing?” The response for a societal norm would be, “Fine”. In contrast, if the same clerk asked how you were doing and then you began to tell them how bad your day is, and everything that is wrong with your day, this is breaking a societal norm or expectation, but at the same time conforming to expectations of how someone would expect an individualistic, egocentric person to respond, hence appearing nonconformist when actually conforming to a stereotype.
Amidst all this confusion I have decided to conduct and/or interpret two tests based on the thesis/hypothesis that people want to feel that they are being individualistic and non-conformist when in fact,...

... middle of paper ...

...did, but he could have it, and I also gave him the recyclables I had left. I attempted to explain to him what I had done and was doing, but it kind of went over his head so, instead of pushing it I held my hand out to shake his. He shook my hand and I also gave him a five dollar bill and said thank you.
This is just one test so it is hard to show too much correlation or causation, but I think instead of proving my thesis/hypothesis instead I came up with a new hypothesis to test. This one is that people are to proud in our culture (egoistic/self-centered/individualistic), to accept something that would require a little work from them, but they are not to proud to take something that isn't theirs.
Sorry, I have written too much, but I hope this serves the purpose of the social norm experiment extra credit exercise, and if not, I can surely give many more examples.