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Breaching Experiment Essay

Introduction

Social norms are unspoken rules that guide how individuals behave within society. Their purpose is to establish order and predictability among social interactions, so individuals know when others may act according to them and respond in kindness. Social norms foster feelings of belonging within communities while encouraging cohesion and cooperation between members. When breached, norms can cause discomfort, confusion or conflict. People value social norms because they provide structure to daily life while aiding social situations. The purpose of this paper is to describe a breaching experiment that violates a social norm and examine individual responses to it. Specifically, the norm that I selected for the experiment is “speaking loud on the phone while in a hotel.” The aim of this paper is to analyze the experiment's results and use sociological theories to explain why people respond to norm violations in the way that they do.

Breaching Experiment

A. As part of my effort to challenge social norms, I chose the practice of loudly conversing on my phone in public...