1. What norm did you violate?
The norm that the group violated was mistaking consumers to be employees in establishments.
2. Describe the breaching experiment in detail. What was the activity? Where did you do it?
In the breaching experiment the group went to U.P. Town Center and we went to various stores, mostly retail, to conduct the experiment. We first started in Topshop/Topman store, where we first tried to pick a person, someone who is alone and isolated in the store, that would be a possible target. When we have picked a target we alerted one of our members to quietly start videotaping, while the one who will ask goes close to the target and looks around to make it appear that he/she is also a normal consumer. When the person asking feels ready to ask, he/she asks the target a consumer question about a product of the store, for example asking about different sizes or different color options. After which we explain to the target that it was an experiment for our SA21 class so that they would understand. The group also went inside Uniqlo and Metro Department store as well to find targets for the breaching experiment. In Uniqlo and Metro, the guards asked us to stop recording, but we managed to two videos in each establishment.
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?
The reactions with our breaching experiment varied from each consumer. We saw reactions like embarrassment, mild irritation, and even helpfulness from the people that we performed the experiment too. For the person who felt a little embarrass or awkward with, the situation might have felt this because of a random stranger mistaking them for an employee even though they are also checking the store out. For irritation it might have been caused by them feeling insulted that they were confused to be employees even though they are also consumers, which might come from issues of social class. The reaction where the consumer actually helped the group when they asked questions might have been rooted to the nature of the person being that the person who acted this way was a mother. When asked she would even use her own son as an example to help the group and this is most likely due to her motherly nature. The deviant acts in one occasion reinforced the norms, by like the mother actually acting in a caring nature, while in most cases the norms were violated resulting to reaction of embarrassment or irritation.
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, social, values/beliefs of institutions.
The sociological theme that can be found in the project is the social hierarchy and differences in social classes which influenced the way people reacted. It has become a norm in stores to approach people wearing uniforms (salesclerks). To ask fellow consumers, though there is nothing really wrong about it, is not normal. Asking fellow consumers the price of sales somewhat implies degradation of physical appearance which came from a social construct of discrimination against people of lower social class (janitor, salesclerks, etc.) People of higher position in the social hierarchy are the ones who actually shop while people who serve them are those in the other end of the social hierarchy (the lower class). To mistaken a consumer as an employee would give them an assumption of you judging him/her to come from a lower class than his current.
5.How did you feel when you did this experiment? How does it feel to deviate from the norm? Were you hesitant to do the activity?
We spent most of our time in identifying a subject that we can approach for this activity. We were all hesitant to approach a stranger simply because we did not want to deviate the norm. We felt judged when we deviated from the norm since it was unusual to approach a stranger, more so ask a question supposedly for the clerks in uniforms. All of us felt alienated on our own individual turns. When we were eyeing subjects, other shoppers were already noticing us, and after deviating the norm, we were observed as we left the respective stores. Nonetheless, we thought that they were strangers and it was unlikely for our paths to cross once again.
6.Other observations and analysis that you may have on the activity and the deviance in general.
The Breaching Experiment proves that there are norms present in our society. These norms are expectations that guide the way an individual acts in the society. Norms dictate what an individual is ought and ought not to do. Deviance, or violation of these norms elicit a certain sanction, as seen in our experiment when we were alienated or stared at in the establishment. Despite the acts to destroy these norms and accept everyone for their individuality in terms of behavior, appearance, or belief, norms play a great role in our society.
No comments:
Post a Comment