What is norms in sociology?
Norms in sociology are the established standard of behavior maintained by a society. There are mores, which are the more serious kinds of norms which are usually formally sanctioned by laws. Meaning if you break this kind of norm it usually results in some kind of negative sanction, ie: jail time, probation, community service etc. Another kind of norm is a folkway norm, which is a more casual norm, with informal sanctions, such as, picking your nose in public, and receiving a bad look. And the final type of norm is a taboo norm, which is a type of norm that society has depicted as unacceptable, ie: cannibalism, molestation, polygamy, incest, etc. Using norms, sociologists are able to understand the values of a culture.
