THEORI

ES AND
CAUSES
OF
CRIMES
 MODULE 1
Social Norms, Human Mind and Behavior
Objectives:
After the you should be able to:
1. Explain the importance of studying norms, ethics and morals.
2. Discuss the different type of norms.
3. Differentiate ethics and morals.
4. Relate human mind and human behavior.
Lesson 1
Social Norm
 Social Norms
According to William (2018),
this will guide individual behavior
through the ways other people
think and act. These are the ways
the individual expect all the people
to act in a given situation.
It is also an established standard
behavior shared by members of a
social group to which each member
is expected to conform (Collins
Dictionary).
 Social Norms…
•Vito and Maahs (2015) stated that
norms are guidelines that define the
types of behavior of the member of the
society that are appropriate and
inappropriate in a certain situation.
•In simple terms, according to
Mondal (n.d.) norms are guidelines
which direct our conduct in particular
situation. They are similar to rules and
regulations in being perspective,
although they lack the formal status of
rules.
•These rules or social expectations
(norms) specify how people should not
behave in various situations.
Types of Norms (Crossman, 2019)
1. Folkways
These are norms that stem from and organize
casual interactions, and emerge because it is being
practice regularly. 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 the society.
Folkways…
Examples:
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.
 Folkways…
The practice of raising
one’s hand to take
turns to speak in a
group will let the
participants understand
each other.
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.
2. Mores
Mores are stricter 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.
Violations of a society’s mores evoke a more serious
response from others.
Mores are often dictated by a society's values, ethics, and
sometimes religious influences. Some mores examples
include:

• It is not considered acceptable or mainstream to abuse

drugs, particularly those such as heroin and cocaine.
• It is not considered acceptable to drive at 90 mph in a
residential area.
• It is expected that one would hold the door for a person
behind him or her when entering a building.
Mores…

•Normal dress for women at work excludes

clothes that are highly revealing.
•It is not considered acceptable for a
woman to be highly sexually promiscuous.
•It is expected that one will be on time for
work the majority of the time.
3. Taboos

A taboo is a very strong negative norm; it is a

prohibition of certain behavior that is so strict that
violating its results in extreme disgust and even
expulsion from the group or society.
Often the violator of the taboo is considered unfit to
live in that society.
Taboos…

For instance, in some Muslim culture, eating

pork is a taboo because the pig is considered
unclean. At the more extreme end, incest and
cannibalism are both considered taboo in most
places.
4. Laws

A law is a norm that is formally inscribed by the state and is

enforced by police or law enforcement agencies.
Laws exist to discourage behavior that would typically
result in injury or harm 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.
Laws…
When an individual violated the law, they will
be apprehended and be placed behind bars or
they will be fined or both.
 Self Learning Activity
Module 1 Lesson1
Instruction:
Identify if the given situations are FOLKWAYS, MORES,TABOOS or LAWS.

1. Wearing of neon colored dress attending a funeral.

2. A man having several children with different woman.
3. An individual eating inside the classroom with sounds.
4. Attending a beach party in tuxedo.
5. A man stealing the phone of his friend.
6. Offering the seat to the elderly.
7. Destroying the property of other.
8. Unmarried pregnant woman.
9. A government employee accepting bribe.
10. A police officer who is always courteous in dealing with his clients.