A group of people is waiting to be helped at a customer service desk in a store. A woman in the waiting area suddenly clears her throat and spits on the floor. Everyone else in the room is taken aback and gives her horrified looks. How can this reaction be explained in sociological terms?
a.) There is probably a sign on the wall that says "No Spitting," and the others in the room cannot believe that the woman has breached this overt rule.
b.)The status of the others in the room is threatened by the actions of the woman who spit on the floor.
c.) The woman who spit on the floor is not conforming to social norms that are shared by the other people in the room.
d.)The others in the room have been socialized to think that it's okay for a man to spit on the floor but not a woman.
Answer: c.) The woman who spit on the floor is not conforming to social norms that are shared by the other people in the room.
FEEDBACK: Recall that social norms are values that tell us how to act in the social world. (Perhaps the woman is actually a sociology student conducting a breaching experiment!)
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