amu soci111 observation paper - 1149 Words

NORM BREAKING OBSERVATION 1 Norm Breaking Observation NORM BREAKING OBSERVATION 2 Abstract Utilizing the research of Henslin (2013), and the my own norm breaking experience, this paper reflects understanding of how social norms define the society that they are applied to. Also identified, are the ways that subcultures react to certain norm breaking differently as well as reactions to deviance through use of folkway and sanctions. This paper examines the experience I encountered while observing reactions to my norm breaking experiment of bathing in a tourist destination waterfall. Keywords: norms, folkway, deviance, subculture, sanctions NORM BREAKING OBSERVATION 3 Sunday 15 June 2014, traditionally associated with Father’s†¦show more content†¦As all they did was shrug, no dirty looks that I saw, this norm breaking can be considered a folkway. The Reaction due to Subculture There is a subculture of hiking in America. A subculture is a small group that has different values and behaviors relating to those values then the larger society that they are a part of (Henslin, 2013). Since the number of hikers in 2013 was 34.54 million according to statista (Number of Hikers, 2014) out of 317.3 million Americans in 2013 (United States Census Bureau, 2014) that certainly constitutes a small subsection of Americans. The subculture of hikers values appreciation for nature, which is what could be ultimately lead to such positive feedback from the norm breaking. NORM BREAKING OBSERVATION 6 References Henslin, James M. Sociology: A DowntoEarth Approach. 12th Edition. Pearson Learning Solutions, 2013. VitalBook file. Bookshelf. Number of hikers and backpackers in the USA, 2013. (2014, January 1). Statista. Retrieved June 22, 2014, from http://www.statista.com/statistics/227421/numberofhikersandbackpackersusa/ United States Census Bureau. (n.d.). Population Clock. Retrieved June 22, 2014, from