Glossary
Cultural Norms
What are cultural norms?
Cultural norms are shared or perceived expectations about conduct within a social group. A norm should be identified for a particular group and setting rather than assumed to describe everyone in a country.
Descriptive and injunctive cultural norms
Focus theory of normative conduct separates descriptive norms—expectations about common behavior—from injunctive norms—expectations about what others approve. These may agree or conflict.
Cultural Norms Example
For example, a community might approve of quiet conversation in a shared space even when loud conversation is frequent. This illustrates a distinction between an expected standard and actual practice.
Limits
Describing a norm does not justify it morally or show that everyone follows it. A formal rule, a private value, a common habit, and a perceived social expectation should not automatically be treated as the same thing.