Norms

What are social norms?

Social norms concern shared expectations about behavior in a group or situation. It is useful to distinguish what people commonly do from what they approve of. These can point in different directions.

Cialdini, Reno, and Kallgren (1990) distinguish descriptive norms from injunctive norms and examine how attention to them affects littering. What people see others doing and what they believe others approve of can carry different messages.

A rule against littering can coexist with visible litter. Formal rules, observed conduct, and perceived approval are separate facts. Specify the group, behavior, and expectation rather than assume that everyone shares the same norm or follows it.