Norms
Norms In addition to roles for its members, groups also establish norms, rules of conduct for members. Like roles, norms may be either formal or informal. Fraternities and sororities, for example, often have written rules for the behavior expected from their members. Informal norms are more subtle. What do I wear? How hard can I push for what I want? Who pays for this or that? What kind of language, joking, or socializing is typical? These norms provide individuals with a sense of what it means to be a good group member. Figuring out the unwritten rules of the group can take time and cause anxiety.
Groups often exert strong conformity pressures on individuals who deviate from group norms. One way that low-status or new group members may try to establish a stronger position in the group is to be especially punishing of members who break group norms—especially if high-status group members would witness their harsh reaction to norm violators. On the other hand, group members who care about the group’s success may engage in “loyal deviance” and defy a group norm if they think the norm is bad for the group.
How tolerant groups are to violations of norms can be, itself, a kind of norm. Some groups, for example, pride themselves on how het- erogeneous and free-thinking its members are. Others strongly value uniformity. Indeed, when a group has a strong norm of encouraging diverse viewpoints, it can cause members to conform to the norm of not conforming!
