During their lifetime, people generally contact with a considerable variety of material objects and enter into relationships with each other as well. Although there are different types of social interactions, social norms may be regarded as the most essential tool for their organization. In general, social norms determine what behavioral patterns are normal, common, and widespread in society. Moreover, these rules aim to provide the most harmonious development and functioning of society (Gelfand, et al., 2017). Social norms are related to the groups of people who follow these norms on both conscious and subconscious levels. Rules that are commonly accepted in a certain community influence the individual level of accountability, as a person considers being monitored, evaluated, rewarded, or punished based on his or her behavior (Gelfand, et al., 2017). At the same time, social norm violation may be regarded as an essential experiment that helps to evaluate people’s current perception of particular behavior through their reactions.
For my breaching experiment, I decided to break a social norm connected with eye contact and stare at people, especially when they would notice it and look at me as well. There are several reasons why I have chosen to violate this norm. First of all, in the context of the current epidemiologic situation, social distancing and the avoidance of physical contact are highly important, and safety is the fundamental principle of any social experiment. Moreover, in general, this experiment does not have any negative impact on its participants’ mental or physical health and material conditions.
Keeping eye contact with strangers may be regarded as a social norm violation from two perspectives. Initially, it is interpreted as a non-physical intrusion in the comfort zone of another person. In other words, when people notice that other individuals look at them with intensity, they start to feel nervous, stressed, and uncomfortable, thinking that their appearance or behavior at this moment may be inappropriate. At the same time, according to the common belief, women should not keep eye contact with men for a long time, and they should look away first. For my experiment, I have chosen the municipal park as a location and Sunday afternoon as time. In general, the choice of this place and this time was determined by the presence of a substantial number of people from various backgrounds. I knew that I would get an opportunity to observe the reaction of people of different ages, gender, and nationality at the same time. In addition, a park is a neutral place where people’s reactions are not determined by any hidden context. At the beginning of this experiment, I felt extremely uncomfortable as I do not stare at strangers on an everyday basis. However, with time, I was absorbed by the research and felt more relaxed.
Concerning the results of my experiment, the most surprising thing I have noticed is an absolute absence of aggression from its participants. When I was keeping eye contact or stare at people, I did not receive aggressive negative comments and did not notice any non-verbal aggression. In general, I can primarily divide all participants into two groups on the basis of the presence or absence of response. In the first group, there are people who simply did not notice my attempts to attract their attention through eye contact. I could not specify their age, gender, or nationality, as there were men and women, senior citizens, adults, and children, African Americans, and whites in almost equal proportions. However, the majority of these people were not alone and put all attention to their partners or looked at their mobile phones’ screens.
The second group consists of people who noticed my violation, however, their reactions were absolutely different. Young women, regardless of their nationality, did not keep eye contact for a long time and felt noticeably uncomfortable. At the same time, older women reacted more positively – in general, they kept eye contact, looked longer, and smiled. Young white men, approximately under 30 years old, noticed my glare and maintain eye contact, however, they predominantly looked away first and lost any interest to me. In turn, the reaction of older men was similar to the reaction of older women regardless of their nationality and race. In fact, the most visible feedback was given by a substantial number of young African American men who interpreted my eye contact as a wish to get acquainted.
In general, I may say that the violation of social norms by a woman through eye contact cannot be regarded as highly remarkable and offensive in the present day. It goes without saying that a substantial number of people still feel uncomfortable under the intent look of a stranger as this attention may be identified as suspicious. At the same time, modern society may be characterized by self-absorption and self-confidence. During my experiment, I did not notice people who started to check their appearance when they notice my look. They probably interpreted my attention as personal interest connected with my perception of the world. In addition, older people gave a positive reaction as they identified my look as a sign of friendliness. At the same time, I think that the reaction of young African American men was determined by their personal belief that the woman’s intent look means the invitation to more personal interaction. I do not think that all reaction would be the same if this experiment was conducted by a man.
Reference
Gelfand, M. J., Harrington. J. R., & Jackson, J. C. (2017). The strength of social norms across human groups. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 12(5), 800-809. Web.