Injunctive norms

What are injunctive norms?

Injunctive norms concern perceived social approval or disapproval of behavior.

Injunctive versus descriptive norms

People may approve of a behavior even when few people perform it. Injunctive norms concern approval; descriptive norms concern what people commonly do. The two can agree or conflict.

How injunctive norms influence behavior

Cialdini, Reno, and Kallgren’s original littering research distinguished these two kinds of norms and emphasized which norm receives attention. The existence of a norm does not ensure that it governs every decision.

Example of an injunctive norm

For example, a message that a community approves of returning borrowed items expresses an injunctive norm. “People here approve of returning what you borrow” describes approval. “People here usually return what they borrow” describes practice. A real message needs to be accurate about the community it names.

Further reading: Cialdini, Kallgren, and Reno’s 1991 theoretical refinement.