every culture has certain standards for acceptable behaviour, or socially acceptable norms.
deviation from social norms are an action, behaviour, or condition that is different from what is usual or expected. this draws a line between socially desirable and undesirable behaviours.
norms are decided by the dominant culture
those who do not adhere to what society deems acceptable in that community or society are labelled as abnormal
members of a society who do not think and behave like everyone else deviate from these social norms and are considered abnormal
milgram defined residual rules as rules that fulfil two criteria:
people must substantially agree on them
people don’t notice them until a violation occurs
e.g. seats on the tube in London is that seats are on a first-come, first-served basis
cultural relativism refers to the idea that the values, knowledge, and behaviour of people must be understood within their own cultural context
the norms for social behaviour also vary markedly when different cultures are compared
