Norms

    OCR
    GCSE

    Norms constitute the specific behavioral guidelines that govern social situations, deriving directly from broader cultural values. Candidates must analyze the distinction between formal norms (laws) and informal norms (customs), and evaluate the mechanisms of social control—positive and negative sanctions—that enforce them. Analysis must address the relativity of norms across varying cultures (cross-cultural) and historical periods (temporal), demonstrating how normative behavior is constructed rather than inherent. Mastery requires linking norms to the process of socialization and theoretical perspectives on social order.

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    Objectives
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    Exam Tips
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    Pitfalls
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    Key Terms
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    Mark Points

    What You Need to Demonstrate

    Key skills and knowledge for this topic

    • Award marks for explicit distinction between norms (specific behaviours) and values (general beliefs).
    • Credit responses that provide specific, sociological examples of cross-cultural relativity (e.g., Mead's study).
    • Candidates must link the enforcement of norms to positive and negative sanctions (formal and informal).
    • High-level responses must integrate theoretical perspectives, contrasting Functionalist consensus with Marxist conflict views.

    Marking Points

    Key points examiners look for in your answers

    • Award marks for explicit distinction between norms (specific behaviours) and values (general beliefs).
    • Credit responses that provide specific, sociological examples of cross-cultural relativity (e.g., Mead's study).
    • Candidates must link the enforcement of norms to positive and negative sanctions (formal and informal).
    • High-level responses must integrate theoretical perspectives, contrasting Functionalist consensus with Marxist conflict views.

    Examiner Tips

    Expert advice for maximising your marks

    • 💡Define 'norms' immediately in the introduction to establish conceptual clarity.
    • 💡Use the 'PEEL' structure: Point (Norm), Explain (Socialisation process), Evidence (Example/Study), Link (Theory).
    • 💡When discussing relativity, explicitly name the cultures or time periods being compared (e.g., 'Victorian era vs Contemporary UK').
    • 💡Ensure every example of a norm is paired with the sanction that enforces it to demonstrate depth.

    Common Mistakes

    Pitfalls to avoid in your exam answers

    • Confusing norms with values or using the terms interchangeably without definition.
    • Presenting norms as biological or fixed facts rather than socially constructed and relative.
    • Failing to link the learning of norms to specific agencies of secondary socialisation (e.g., peer groups).

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    Key Terminology

    Essential terms to know

    Likely Command Words

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