Social norms dictate how individuals go about their lives. These social norms are the informal understandings that govern how members of a given society conduct their day to day activities including socialization (Ashburn, 2016). Norms are usually a communal thing and mostly formulated in accordance to the needs and desires of the given society. Once agreed upon, it is expected that every person would adhere to them. Failure to following the set norms brings about punishment, which is also determined by the set norms. It is these guidelines that keep the society together and ensures that all people are treated equally. The norms are not entirely constrained to the larger society, but it also applies to small groups such as an office or a team. Norms are regarded as behavior that is acceptable to the society or a group of individuals. Normative behavior can promote good social practice such as religion and encourage individuals to exercise their democratic rights of voting. Norms have been shown to have two dimensions (Ashburn, 2016).
The first dimension is how much a behavior is exhibited and the second dimension is how much it is approved by the group. Norms are not static; they can be changed accordingly based on the observed behavior of others. Individuals can import norms from a previous group to a new group. Different group members may bring with them different norms due to their diverse background. It is only after internalization and deliberation that the group can unanimously agree on the approved norms for the group. There are times when the social norms are defied (Ashburn, 2016). Defiance from the usual norms can lead to a person being labeled as an outcast. Examples of sociological concepts include impression management, emotional labor, social interaction, and role. These entire concepts influence how an individual behaves in a given society.
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Impression management as a sociological concept refers to a conscious or a subconscious process in which people try to change how other individuals perceive things, people or event ( Bolino, Long& Turnley, 2016 ). To change the manner in which people view things, the person in charge controls information in social interaction. Impression management can be considered to be self-presentation in which the individual tries to change how other people view them. Various factors govern impression management. These include motives, self-presentation, and ethics.
Field Log
5:00 am: wake up and say a prayer.
5:30 am: Shower and wake the children up
6:00 am: Take breakfast together as a family
6:30 am: Drive the children to school as I head to my place of work.
7:00 am: Arrive at the company and pass through checkup at the gate.
7:30 am: Go through the files of the previous work and ascertain that everything is in order.
8:00 am: Chart with my subordinate and lay out the working plan for the day.
9:00 am: Go back to my office.
10:00 am: Take my tea break and discuss a few of the day’s undertakings with the company’s boss.
11:00 am: Walk through the various works stations and ensure that the work is going on as planned.
11:30 am: Hold a meeting with my assistant so that we can see the way forward.
1:00 pm: have lunch with the employees.
2:00 pm: Check to see that the employees are back to their station and that there is no issue with any of them.
3:00 pm: Relay the essential messages that affect the company to the appropriate managers of the different departments being that I am the communications manager for the firm.
4:00 pm: Leave my office and head to the CEOs office for a brief 30 minutes discussion where we lay out plans for the next day.
5:00 pm: head to the school to pick up my children.
6:00 pm: get home shower and read a newspaper or journal.
7:00 pm: watch the evening news with my family.
8:00 pm: Take a small nap before supper.
9:00 pm: have supper and ensure that children go to sleep.
10:00 pm: Go through a few documentaries in my room.
11:00 pm: Go to sleep together with my wife.
As seen from this field log it is clear that social norms influence how we go about our daily activities. The society dictates that a person should take care of his or her family by providing both financially and emotionally. A person is also required to be prayerful and believes in the existence of a higher being. Before meals, many families must pray and give thanks to the creator for the daily providence. The society expects a person to be kind and interact well with people of different social and financial status. As I go about my daily activity as shown in the field log, I make sure to greet my employees and the security guards in the same way as I great my boss. Social norms advocate for equality and should a person try to look down upon others; many people in the society would dislike him.
Sociological concept of impression management is evident whereby I strive to take my lunch together with my employees (Bolino, Long& Turnley, 2016). I could have easily eaten my lunch from my office, but in this case, I decided to take it together with my employees so that I might come across as humble and down to earth.
Emotional labor refers to the process of managing feelings to fulfill a job's emotional requirement (Guy, Newman & Mastracci, 2014). The emotional labor concept creates a public and facial bodily display within the workplace. Emotional labor is one of the sociological concepts that is evident from the field log. Emotional labor regulates how an individual relates to the employees and the employer. A person is not supposed to carry his frustrations from home to the workplace (Guy, Newman & Mastracci, 2014). Many careers require emotional labor such as nursing, doctor, and teacher.
Social interaction refers to how we act and react to people around us. The seemingly insignificant form of social interaction is important in sociology (Scollon, 2014). The cooperation between individuals to achieve a common goal is an important form of interaction in the society. From my field log, I cooperate with many people in the organization to ensure that the target of the day is achieved. There are other forms of interactions that include competition and exchange. In competition, two or more people try to achieve a goal that only one can attain.
In sociology, the role of an individual refers to the expected behavior of an individual who holds a specific status or social position (Scollon, 2014). Role expectations entail both quality and action. An individual can have more than one role in society. In my field log, my role is a parent and a manager. I have to live up to the expectations of the society as a parent by ensuring that my children get an education and are well provided. As a manager, the society expects that I relate well to both my employer and my employee. The society expects that I should be dedicated, honest and concerned with my managed position in the company. I should leave my job without ensuring that the target of the day had been met.
References
Ashburn, K., Costenbader, B., Igras, S., Pirzadeh, M., & Homan, R. (2016). Social norms background reader. Learning collaborative: advancing research and practice on normative change for adolescent sexual and reproductive health and well-being.
Bolino, M., Long, D., & Turnley, W. (2016). Impression management in organizations: Critical questions, answers, and areas for future research. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior , 3 , 377-406.
Guy, M. E., Newman, M. A., & Mastracci, S. H. (2014). Emotional labor: Putting the service in public service . Routledge.
Scollon, R. (2014). Mediated discourse as social interaction: A study of news discourse . Routledge.
