Social Interaction

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Social Norm Violation Experiment
Core Research Question
For this project, I decided to examine and test the different reactions that people have towards the breaking of norms related to elevators. People typically enter the elevator facing the door, and I decided to join the elevator facing the outside. The different reactions and comments from the people inside the elevator upon entry would form the basis of my assessment of the society’s response to the violation of norms or conventional ways of approaching specific events in life.
Methods
To test the model of forward-facing entry into the elevators, I went to locations with high traffic of elevator users. Highly populated premises such as hospitals and malls provided the ideal places for the test and thus dominated the choices I made. In at least 20 different occasions, I walked into an elevator facing backward and engaged different people on what they felt about my entrance in addition to the reactions I received without having to speak or interact with the witnesses (Posner 12).
Results
The results were appalling and exciting simultaneously. The single most common reaction from a majority of the people I met was disbelief. Some people moved a step back and asked if I was okay. Some people even looked scared with terror. The women who had accompanied their husbands and brothers hid from my reach. They could not even respond to my questions even after I had identified myself as a sane person.

On some occasions, I had to assure the occupants not to worry because I am mentally stable but they still would not believe me. The moment the elevator stopped, some would run out while giving me frightened glances. Children I met in the process of my data collection found it funny and laughed at the action. The norm was to enter facing forward and breaking it was not so welcome considering the reaction of the people I interacted with.
Discussion
According to sociology, social norms are the rules and regulations that govern the behavior of people while interacting with one another. It does not necessarily translate to official regulations or notices documents but more or less the unwritten code of conduct for the greater good of humanity. The shock I was met with while I was conducting my experiment shows that indeed society expects individuals to align themselves with the expected code of conduct. Failure to adhere to the norm automatically pushes the community to assume that I am mentally ill. This notion is the basis of the reaction of terror or even shock witnessed during the exercise (Posner 12).
Conclusion
As a summary of the study on the norm of entering the elevator while front facing, it is safe to assume that society is quite rigid in its expectations. It offers no chance for some people to come facing backward since most people automatically judge the offender of social norms as mentally challenged and unfit to interact regularly with the rest of the population. An important point to pick from the experiment is that the society we live in strives to create some form of uniformity and harmony with regards to behaviour outdoors or in public. People that tend to break the consistency disturb the social balance of our societal existence and risk rejection from fellow members and all who witness the violation of the norm. This research offered an insightful account of what happens in many other areas of sociology with regards to rules and the society.
 
Work Сited
Posner, Eric A. Law and social norms. Harvard university press, 2009.