Formal and Informal Social Norms - JustAnswer



Formal and Informal Social Norms

Formal norms are those behaviors that are spelled out and are expected to be followed by all members of the group. Such norms are enforced by penalties and consequences for those that don’t abide by them. Informal norms are rules and standards that are unwritten, but are generally understood and followed by members of the group.

In a high school environment, there are several subgroups in the general population. Some of these subgroups, like high achieving, academically motivated students (“nerds”); generally have informal norms that would be conducive to a smoothly functioning school environment. Others subgroups, such as “druggies,” would nave a totally different set of informal norms that would be counter-productive to a learning environment. Still other subgroups might adhere to informal norms of being confrontational to authority, or wearing outrageous fashion that would be disruptive. As a high school principal, one would have to take into account the conflicting informal norms, and apply a general set of formal norms that would ensure a safe, smoothly functioning environment, for both students and staff. These would include standards for proper behavior, attendance guidelines, a dress code, and policies against cheating.

In a college environment, informal norms are given a greater priority. The students are adults who generally want to be there and have been successful in high school. They are willing to conform to a more standard group of positive informal norms than are seen in high school. College students are still subject to some formal social norms, but these generally concern academic performance rather than norms of behavior.

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