Social norms are ubiquitous, extending beyond formal settings to influence behavior in a wide array of social contexts. They are present in intimate groups like families, informal associations such as gangs, and even in digital communities like social media platforms.

Pervasiveness of Social Norms

Social norms are often tied to specific social roles within particular settings. For example, colleges have a set of social norms that dictate expected student behavior, while workplaces establish different norms that govern the conduct of employees.

Examples of Social Norms in Specific Roles

A social role is a culturally understood pattern of expected behavior for an individual holding a specific position in a group or setting. This shared cultural knowledge, which defines the role, is directly derived from its social norms.

Social Role

An example of social norms can be seen in the clothing choices of adolescents. A preteen might insist on shopping at a specific store that is popular with their peers, reflecting a desire to conform to the group's fashion standards. This behavior is driven by the social norm within that peer group, where wearing clothes from a particular brand is considered acceptable and desirable, leading to widespread adoption of the same styles and a visually similar appearance among group members.

Peer Influence on Clothing Choices as a Social Norm

Social context heavily influences crowd behavior, as illustrated by contrasting an auditorium audience with a concert crowd. An audience in an auditorium (Photograph A) typically adheres to norms of being seated and quiet, creating a context where informational influence might occur in an ambiguous event. Conversely, a concert crowd (Photograph B) often engages in high-energy, participatory behaviors like crowd surfing, conforming to norms of excitement and collective expression characteristic of that specific event.

Comparison of Crowd Behavior in Different Social Contexts

Social and cultural norms are not static; they change over time. What is considered typical or acceptable behavior in a society can shift from one era to another. This is analogous to fashion trends, where styles from a previous decade might seem strange or out of place years later.

The Evolving Nature of Social Norms

A person enters a quiet public library and begins talking loudly on their phone. Other patrons stare disapprovingly, and a librarian approaches to ask the person to lower their voice. Which statement best analyzes this situation through the lens of social norms?

A person attending a classical music concert for the first time notices that the audience is silent during the performance and only applauds at the end of a complete piece, not between individual movements. The person adjusts their own behavior to match the audience. Which of the following statements best explains this person's behavior?

Refer to shared socially determined consensual expectation regarding appropriate and acceptable behavior in a given context. Social norms carry an evaluative quality, leading to negative judgment for those who violate them without a valid explanation.

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California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

- According to the Surgeon General, the main barriers to breastfeeding include lack of knowledge, social norms, poor family and social support, embarrassment, lactation problems, returning to work, and inadequate access to health services.


Barriers to Breastfeeding in the US

Situational forces are external, environmental factors that strongly shape human behavior. Social psychology emphasizes these influences, with key examples including social roles, social norms, and scripts, which guide how individuals act in various contexts.

Situational Forces Influencing Behavior

Office of the Surgeon General (US); Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US); Office on Women's Health (US). The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding. Rockville (MD): Office of the Surgeon General (US); 2011. Barriers to Breastfeeding in the United States. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK52688/

The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

- There is a lack of knowledge about specific benefits of breastfeeding and the risks associated with not breastfeeding.
- For instance, only a quarter of the U.S. public agreed that feeding a baby with infant formula instead of breast milk increases the chances the baby will get sick.
- Moreover, mothers need to know what challenges to expect from breastfeeding, as well as what difficulties have been exaggerated. 

Lack of knowledge

- Women with family and friends who have successfully breastfed are more like to breastfeed as well.
- Fathers can positively or negatively influence woman's decision to breastfeed.
- Women with  partners who are informed about the benefits of breastfeeding are more likely still be breastfeeding at six months. 

Poor family and social support

- US studies have shown that there is a lack of support for breastfeeding in public places. 
- Embarrassment stems from mothers being asked to stop breastfeeding or to leave public spaces, as well as the perception of breasts as sexual objects.
- For many women, this embarrassment leads them to stop breastfeeding completely. 

Embarrassment

- Common issues with breastfeeding include sore nipples, engorged breasts, mastitis, leaking milk, pain, and failure to latch on by the infant.
- Mothers also tend to wean infants off of breastfeeding due to concerns about insufficient milk supply. 

Lactation Problems

- Mothers that are employed often have trouble finding time to breastfeed, especially if onsite childcare is unavailable with their employer.
- Another significant barrier to breastfeeding is a lack of maternity leave.

Employment and Child Care

- Providers of maternal and child care often underestimate their influence on their patients' breastfeeding behaviors.
- Support for breastfeeding education and adequate hospital facilities for women who are breastfeeding are often not prioritized.
- Infants are oftentimes unnecessarily recommended supplemental feeding.
- Separating mothers from their babies during their hospital stay has a negative effect on breastfeeding,  but only 57 percent of U.S. hospitals and birth centers allowed newborns to stay in the same room as their mothers.

Barriers Related to Health Services

Social Norms

The Stanford Prison Experiment serves as a prominent example of how situational pressures can dictate behavior. It demonstrated that individuals readily conform to the social roles, norms, and scripts of a given environment, even when these behaviors contradict their typical personal conduct, thus highlighting the power of the situation.

Stanford Prison Experiment as an Example of Situational Influence

In social psychology, a script is a person's understanding of the sequence of events and appropriate behaviors expected in a specific setting. These scripts are learned through shared cultural knowledge and are associated with particular social roles, guiding how an individual should act in a given situation.

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