Breaching Experiment Report [Zamora]

SA 21 - C

Group: Zamora, Zamora, & oh look, another Zamora [jk it's just me, "Fly home, Buddy. I work alone." (Mr. Incredible, 2004)]

1) What norm did you violate?

All throughout the experiment, I basically violated people's personal space and made them feel uncomfortable by sitting really close to them in public areas.

2) Describe the breaching experiment in detail. What was the activity? Where did you do it?

The plan was to simply sit beside people with little to almost no space between us and to observe their reactions once they noticed my presence and how close I was to where they were. I did the experiment inside UP Diliman, specifically AS Lobby, Sunken Garden, Area 2, and the Engg Lobby (I don't know the "formal" names of these places or if there are any). I didn't choose whether or not I would sit beside groups, couples, or people who were by themselves; I simply sat beside the people who didn't look as if they could murder me (because you know, safety first). 

3) What were the different reactions of the people? List all possible reactions you observed. Why do you think they reacted this way? What caused these reactions? Did the deviant act re-affirm/reinforce the existing norms based on these reactions?

There were tons of uncomfortable shifting in their seats done by the people I sat beside as well as odd stares and some tried slowly moving away in order to create some distance between me and them. There were a few that tried to ignore me and pretended that I wasn't right beside them and carried along conversing with their friends, only to end up moving farther away from me when they had the chance. There was only one person during the experiment, a girl, who asked quite nicely if I could move a bit.

They acted this way because I was violating their personal space; even though it was a public area and people are free to sit anywhere, it’s kind of a silent rule that you have to leave just a bit of space between you and others (unless you absolutely can’t) because of safety/ the “stranger danger”. The act definitely reinforced this norm and mentality of having to be wary of strangers.

                                   

4.    Aside from the norms, what sociological themes are at play for people to react in a certain way? Is it a function of gender (gender norms, roles), social class (norms of the rich & the poor), values/ beliefs of the institutions (religions, family, peer group, etc.). [You could compare reactions according to gender, social class, etc. That would be more interesting]

Gender definitely played a part in this experiment given the fact that out of the people I observed in the experiment, the women were the ones who immediately observed that there was someone next to them. Their body language also showed that they were a bit more “iffy” and tense during the experiment compared to the men who only seemed slightly bothered that I was invading their personal space. The only one who called me out on what I was doing was also a girl. This is probably because of the “fear of strangers” that’s instilled in our heads as kids, especially to girls who have been told to be wary of strangers who could rape, steal from, or kill you. (I’m not saying that men aren’t taught the same thing, it’s just that that teaching is drilled into young girls’ heads more than into boys’).

Social class would’ve played a role if there were some modifications to the experiment such as if I was wearing something seen as “sosyal” compared to something that’s very casual. Reactions from other people would’ve been different if I presented myself to them as either rich or poor.

5.    How did you feel when you did this experiment? How does it feel to deviate from the norms? Were you hesitant to do the activity?

I would be lying if I said that I wasn't scared or nervous at the start of the experiment. I was quite fine with the idea bothering other people just to see their reactions, but I was nervous because I did the experiment by myself (hence the lack of photos or videos, it would be too obvious if I suddenly whipped out my phone to take a selfie and I couldn't leave a camera recording somewhere because a) I don't have one and b) what if my nonexistent camera got stolen? Oh no). I did have a friend to show me around UP and to help me choose the spots I used but other than that, I was a one woman team. Aside from being a one woman team, my other source of fear was my social anxiety. Usually I can't even order for myself in restaurants, but anything for my grades!

At the start of the experiment, I felt as if I was being rude since I had an idea of how they felt but as I continued on repeating the experiment to other innocent bystanders, I began to feel quite pleased with myself and my ability to make others feel bothered by simply just sitting beside them. It felt nice to break away from the norms and to be able to make people uncomfortable since they had to stick with the norms and I wasn’t bound by them. I was a bit frightened though while doing the experiment that someone would confront me or scold me for bothering UP students.

6.   Other observations and analysis that you may have on the activity and on deviance in general.

The experiment just shows how people value their personal space and how they treat those who violate it.  The idea of having your own space or territory definitely play a part in your interactions with others. (Also, although I enjoyed what I was doing at the end of the experiment, I honestly hope I don’t have to do anything like this again. My anxiety wouldn’t let me take it if I had to repeat something like this.)