Norms and the Normative Order

The norms within our society vary from generation to generation. The normative order allows society to function peacefully and gives structure to an ever changing idea of what our lives should be like. Everyone within a society, with the exception of the countercultures, have an understanding of how they should behave and, for the most part, people try to abide by these rules and exercise social control.

One social norm that has changed over the last fifty years is how teenagers dress themselves. In the 1960's, as we saw in the Barrington High School 1969 dress code, students were not allowed to wear jeans, sweatshirts with "the name or emblem of a non-campus club, group, or business are not acceptable", and bangs had to be short enough so that the eyebrows could be seen. These expectations seem odd to our generation where baggy jeans, short skirts, and crazy hair are what we see when we walk down the hallways at school. Being current students at the same school where the teachers and staff regulated how long your bangs could be, we can see how the norms have changed since the '60s because no one is making us change into more appropriate clothing because, for our generation, this is normal. Another social norm about clothing that has drastically changed over the generations is underwear type, shape, and size. Although it is seen as a joke in the picture above, it is actually very true. While women began getting more obsessed about how they were perceived, and the need to feel sexy, there underwear changed accordingly. Although it would be looked down upon in the early 20th century, the norms of the 21st century now allow itsy-bitsy underwear to be okay.

The norms that rule our lives also come along with punishments or rewards if you follow do as you ought to, which are called sanction. Sanctions vary in intensity according to the violation. An informal, weakly punished sanction, like swearing, is called a folkway; an informal, strongly sanctioned action, like having an affair, is a taboo; a formal, weakly punished sanction, like a traffic violation, is called a misdemeanor; and a formal, strongly sanctioned action, like murder, is called a felony.Every culture, subculture, and generation has its norms to follow. Although they may be changing often, they are nonetheless very important.