The social norm, or simply ‘norm’, is arguably the most important concept in sociology.

Sociologists believe that norms govern our lives by giving us implicit and explicit guidance on
what to think and believe, how to behave, and how to interact with others. We learn norms in a
variety of settings and from various people, including our family, our teachers and peers at
school, and members of the media. There are four key types of norms, with differing levels of
scope and reach, significance and importance, and methods of enforcement. These norms are, in
order of increasing significance, folkways, mores, taboos, and laws.

Folkways

American sociologist William Graham Sumner was the first to write about the distinctions
between different types of norms in his book "Folkways: A Study of the Sociological Importance
of Usages, Manners, Customs, Mores, and Morals" (1906). Sumner created the framework that
sociologists still use today. Folkways, he wrote, are norms that stem from and organize casual
interactions, and emerge out of repetition and routines. We engage in them to satisfy our daily
needs, and they are most often unconscious in operation, though they are quite useful for the
ordered functioning of society.

A common example of a folkway is the practice, in many societies, of waiting in line. This
practice brings order to the process of buying things or receiving services, allowing us to more
easily perform the tasks of our daily lives. Other examples of folkways include the concept of
appropriate dress, the practice of raising one's hand to take turns speaking in a group, and the
practice of ‘civil inattention’, when we politely ignore others around us in public settings.

Folkways are weak norms that are often informally passed down from previous generations.
They often deal with everyday behaviors and manners. Most folkways are not written down and
enumerated. They are the type of things that most of us learn from others to do or not to do. We
learn from direct guidance and reinforcement.

Folkways mark the distinction between rude and polite behavior, so they exert a form of social
pressure that encourages us to act and interact in certain ways. However, they do not have moral
significance, and there are rarely serious consequences or sanctions for violating them.
Mores

Mores are more strict than folkways, as they determine what is considered moral and ethical
behavior; they structure the difference between right and wrong. People feel strongly about
mores, and violating them typically results in disapproval or ostracizing. As such, mores exact a
greater coercive force in shaping our values, beliefs, behavior, and interactions than do folkways.

Religious doctrines are an example of mores that govern social behavior. For example, many
religions have prohibitions on cohabitating with a romantic partner before marriage. If a young
adult from a strict religious family moves in with his girlfriend, his family, friends, and
congregation are likely to view his behavior as ‘immoral’. They might punish his behavior by
scolding him, threatening judgment in the afterlife, or shunning him from their homes and the
church. These actions are meant to indicate that his behavior is immoral and unacceptable and
are designed to make him change his behavior to align with the violated more.

Taboos

A taboo is a very strong negative norm; it is a prohibition of certain behavior that is so strict that
violating it results in extreme disgust and even expulsion from the group or society. Often times
the violator of the taboo is considered unfit to live in that society. For instance, in some Muslim
cultures, eating pork is taboo because the pig is considered unclean. At the more extreme end,
incest and cannibalism are both considered taboos in most places.

Laws

A law is a norm that is formally inscribed at the state or federal level and is enforced by police or
other government agents. Laws exist to discourage behavior that would typically result in injury
or harm to another person, including violations of property rights. Those who enforce laws have
been given legal right by a government to control behavior for the good of society at large. When
someone violates a law, a state authority will impose a sanction, which can be as light as a
payable fine or as severe as imprisonment.