Excuse Me!
While doing my breach experiment I realized that social norms construct and predict the behaviors we conduct within society. Goffman did a particularly good job analyzing why we do the things we do. We may not realize it, but social forces are really what influence our actions on a regular basis. After behaviors are introduced into a society people generally internalize it into the so called norm. This is how people are presumed to act, and they are not expected to go beyond these customs that are established. If you were to go against the norm you would be looked at as if you were crazy.
I have noticed for a very long time, ever since a child, that people have a tendency of walking in patterns as if they are driving. We as Americans always walk and drive to the right of our bodies. It’s a social norm that no one really picks up on or analyzes; we just do it, but why? So for my breach experiment I decided to test this social norm in Student Center East of UIC. What I was able to encounter was astonishing. I decided I was going to go against the norm and walk to my left. I wasn’t sure if my actions were really going to disturb anyone because it’s something simple and not really a big deal, but I got many reactions. People gave me dirty looks and a few actually yelled at me. I remember one girl in particular who was very persistent in trying to correct me. “You’re on the wrong side of the hallway!” And I just wouldn’t respond I would keep walking on the “wrong” side. Then finally the girl tapped me on the shoulder and sort of started an unwanted conflict about my strange actions. She was pretty upset with me. She just continued to say that with people in such a hurry I should go with usual actions. By me walking on the wrong side of the hallway I in return disrupted her day. When I asked her why it was so important to her that I walked on the “right” side of the hallway, she replied “that’s just the way you’re supposed to walk.” But she really couldn’t give me a precise answer just that my actions were outside of the norm.
This experiment proves Goffman’s point on how people are presumed to present themselves in a certain manner around others. Why do we act in this manner? In other areas across the world this conduct does not necessarily apply, so it is apparent our manners are socially constructed and dictated to us as to what is acceptable behavior and what is not. I feel like the reason why I think getting into people’s way while they are walking is problematic for many is because it is unusual for them to have to be bumped by someone walking opposite of them. People have places to be, and without this order things would fall into a more chaotic setting. We perceive this action as rude and obnoxious because we all would like to think we have compassion for other people’s busy lives and we don’t want to intervene with that. This type of conduct is expected of us in society. The only way to be accepted is to go with the norm; if someone goes outside the norm people are very sensitive to that.
While doing my breach experiment I realized that social norms construct and predict the behaviors we conduct within society. Goffman did a particularly good job analyzing why we do the things we do. We may not realize it, but social forces are really what influence our actions on a regular basis. After behaviors are introduced into a society people generally internalize it into the so called norm. This is how people are presumed to act, and they are not expected to go beyond these customs that are established. If you were to go against the norm you would be looked at as if you were crazy.
I have noticed for a very long time, ever since a child, that people have a tendency of walking in patterns as if they are driving. We as Americans always walk and drive to the right of our bodies. It’s a social norm that no one really picks up on or analyzes; we just do it, but why? So for my breach experiment I decided to test this social norm in Student Center East of UIC. What I was able to encounter was astonishing. I decided I was going to go against the norm and walk to my left. I wasn’t sure if my actions were really going to disturb anyone because it’s something simple and not really a big deal, but I got many reactions. People gave me dirty looks and a few actually yelled at me. I remember one girl in particular who was very persistent in trying to correct me. “You’re on the wrong side of the hallway!” And I just wouldn’t respond I would keep walking on the “wrong” side. Then finally the girl tapped me on the shoulder and sort of started an unwanted conflict about my strange actions. She was pretty upset with me. She just continued to say that with people in such a hurry I should go with usual actions. By me walking on the wrong side of the hallway I in return disrupted her day. When I asked her why it was so important to her that I walked on the “right” side of the hallway, she replied “that’s just the way you’re supposed to walk.” But she really couldn’t give me a precise answer just that my actions were outside of the norm.
This experiment proves Goffman’s point on how people are presumed to present themselves in a certain manner around others. Why do we act in this manner? In other areas across the world this conduct does not necessarily apply, so it is apparent our manners are socially constructed and dictated to us as to what is acceptable behavior and what is not. I feel like the reason why I think getting into people’s way while they are walking is problematic for many is because it is unusual for them to have to be bumped by someone walking opposite of them. People have places to be, and without this order things would fall into a more chaotic setting. We perceive this action as rude and obnoxious because we all would like to think we have compassion for other people’s busy lives and we don’t want to intervene with that. This type of conduct is expected of us in society. The only way to be accepted is to go with the norm; if someone goes outside the norm people are very sensitive to that.