The Types of standards The main ones are social, moral, religious, etiquette and protocol, and legal or legal.
The rules Are some patterns of behavior that the human being has developed to seek a harmonious coexistence among his peers.
A norm can also be defined as something common or normal among a group of individuals in a defined situation.
Sociologists consider that any standard of behavior that meets the expectations generated by a given situation is a norm.
The Oxford Sociology Dictionary adds desirable and appropriate adjectives to behaviors considered as norms.
It could be said that standards are a kind of guide to acceptable behavior in a given area.
Each human scope involves a set of rules or rules that guide the way in which tasks and processes are executed.
And every stage of human development involves one type or several types of standards to meet. Thus, a child is subject to less standards than an adult since, in general, his scope of action is smaller than that of an adult.
The rules may vary according to the place and the historical moment in which they are studied.
Types: classification of standards
Norms, in general, may be prescriptive, when they indicate a behavior to follow; And proscriptive, when they indicate which behaviors to avoid. The latter have to be less flexible than the former.
You can also talk about formal and informal rules. The formal ones are written and contemplate the negative consequences that it entails to fail them, whereas the informal ones are shared and accepted of tacit way.
Another classification refers to its scope and is not necessarily exclusive:
Social norms
They emerged spontaneously in society in order to maintain and promote coexistence on the basis of mutual respect and have become mandatory.
They vary from culture to culture and their non-fulfillment usually entails a social sanction (exclusion and / or mockery).
It has been said that within the limits of this type of rules, the foundations that sustain the State and its institutions rest.
In fact, many of the social norms, give rise to the elaboration and promulgation of legal norms by the institutions of the State.
This is so because social norms often prevent small offenses that can occur in a society.
Moral standards
They relate to the ethical dimension of the human being. They are based on social conventions about what is right or wrong to do, especially in relation to others and their dignity as human beings.
Its complexity lies in the fact that its fulfillment refers to the individual conscience and, therefore, to infringe upon them brings guilt or remorse.
Only when the own conscience is in agreement with this norm, this norm is fulfilled. For example, honesty or sexual practices.
They are linked to religious norms since the latter can configure many aspects of individual conscience.
Religious norms
They refer to the type of patterns of behavior expected of a follower or believer in a particular religious philosophy.
They are usually written in the foundational documents of the religion to which they belong and their non-compliance is usually referred to a sanction in the spiritual plane.
For example, the soul of one who commits a capital sin in the Catholic religion can go to hell when his body dies.
They are important in the moral norms respected by those who share a religion.
Label and protocol standards
Performance in certain social settings, such as a party or dinner, for example. The way of dressing, holding utensils while eating, etc.
They tend to be observed more rigorously in groups belonging to a high socioeconomic stratum or with responsibilities of government (the royalty, for example).
However, they are shared by most people because they are usually associated with the best way to make that process normal (the best way to eat, the best way to dress, etc.).
Legal or legal rules
The civil and citizens' behavior of the people are ruled. They are usually dictated by the institutions that the society erects and their non-compliance can lead to administrative (fines) or criminal (jail) penalties.
They must be written and are mandatory in the territory to which they are circumscribed, even if the subject does not know them.
They define more clearly, than an informal norm, that behavior that is expected in a given situation.
They help prevent the most serious and costly infractions that can take place in a given society.
The whole set of these rules constitutes the law, and the most important of them are explicitly reflected in the national constitution (in the case of democratic states).
They are directly linked to moral norms giving rise to the distinction between Positive Law and Natural Law. In fact, philosophers of different epochs have regarded morals as the basis of legal norms.
They are also linked to social norms as described in previous lines; A law can support the relevance that a society grants to a particular norm.
Functions of standards
- The rules fulfill the following functions in a society:
- They regulate human behavior.
- They contribute to the satisfaction of social needs.
- They collaborate in the reduction of tensions and social conflicts.
- They serve as a unit of measure for evaluating human behavior.
- They can serve as ideals in some circumstances.
- They offer clues as to what the expected behavior might be in a given situation.
Nomas, in general, embody an ethical dimension because they seek to regulate and, in some cases, restrict the behavior of people.
For this reason, ideally, they should be formulated in accordance with respect for human dignity and, ideally, an agreement among those involved.
References
- Article library (2016). Social Norms: Meaning, Types and Functions of Social Norms in Sociology. Recovered from: yourarticlelibrary.com
- Law (2008). Types or classes of rules. Recovered from: derecho.laguia2000.com
- The illustrated little Larousse (1999). Dictionary encyclopedic. Sixth edition. International co-edition.
- Treasury (2002). Institutions, Social Norms and Well-being. Retrieved from: treasury.govt.nz
- Wikipedia.org