Norma - what is it? Despite the fact that this word is very common and can be heard almost everywhere, not all people know its true meaning. If you are also one of them, then we recommend that you read our thematic publication, which provides a detailed answer to your question. In this article, we have clarified the definition of the norm. Also, its varieties were examined and studied in detail.
What is the norm?
Let's not beat around the bush, but immediately tell it like it is. The concept of "norm" is of Latin origin. Translated from the original, this word means "rule", "standard", "sample". In the Roman Empire, the "norm" was a special tool for masons, with which they checked the verticality of the walls. After some time, this word began to refer to any device that was used to check the compliance of an item with the necessary standards. Normspresented in various orders, recommendations and other official documents. The norm forms the boundaries within which a certain object remains itself and retains its essence.
We figured out the concept and meaning of the norm, now let's move on to a more interesting topic, namely its varieties. Let's start with social norms.
Social norms
Social norms are the rules of behavior that a person must adhere to within society. They indicate what human actions should be, in the opinion of the state apparatus, various religious organizations and other mass groups. It is a pattern that people shape their behavior from.
Social norms are also called general rules of conduct. The understanding of these norms is expressed in the fact that they are designed not for any particular individual, but for the entire society as a whole. For this reason, every person who comes within the scope of these rules must adhere to them. This applies not only to legal, but also to many other social norms, which we will analyze below.
Varieties of social norms
Social norms and rules can be divided into the following groups:
- Moral norms - assessment of human actions in terms of morality/immorality, good/evil. The punishment for violating moral standards is public censure and remorse.
- Cultural traditions are established rules of conduct passed down from generation to generation.
- Rules of etiquette - a set of formal norms of behavior that should be followed in a given situation.
- Aesthetic norms - evaluating something in terms of beauty / ugliness. Applies to the world around, art, people and human actions.
- Religious rules - the commandments and norms of behavior contained in the holy books and church laws. Religious norms are binding on believers.
- Corporate norms - the rules of conduct established in large companies and enshrined in codes, charters, contracts of corporations.
- Political norms are the regulators of political life, which are implemented in international treaties, decrees, etc.
- Legal norms are the rules established by law. Violation of these rules may result in criminal liability.
Compliance and non-compliance with the rules
Behavior, the norms of which are contrary to social requirements, is called deviant. In total, two types of deviant behavior can be distinguished:
- destructive - these are deviations that cause serious harm to a certain person (drug and alcohol addiction, suicide, etc.);
- asocial type is behavior that harms other people (violation of traffic rules, violation of labor discipline, etc.).
Behavior that meets socially accepted standards and that is opposed to deviant behavior is called conformist.
Norm in speech
Linguistic or, as it is also called, "literary norm" - these are the rules for the use of speech constructions in a certain period of development of the literary language. That is, the rules for the use of words, pronunciation, the use of formed stylistic, grammatical and other established language means. Speaking in the simplest terms, a language norm is an exemplary, officially accepted and generally recognized use of words, phrases and sentences. It covers all aspects of the language, and therefore is mandatory for both oral and written speech.
Features of the language norm
The characteristic features of the norm of the literary language include:
- mass distribution;
- relative stability;
- mandatory for everyone;
- general usage;
- corresponds to the custom, usage and possibilities of the language system.
Language norms are not created by scientists. They are a reflection of regular phenomena and processes occurring in speech practice. The main sources of this norm include the literary works of classics and contemporary writers, the language used by the media, the results of surveys (live and questionnaire), scientific works of linguists. Thanks to the existing norms, the language continues to be generally understandable and holistic. It is they who protect literary speech from dialectisms, jargon and other linguistic deviations, which allows it to fulfill its main function - cultural.
Literary norm directly depends on the conditions in which communication between people takes place. Some words may be appropriate in one situation (communication with friends or relatives), but completely superfluous and unnecessary in another (business meeting with partners). A language norm is a rule that indicates the communicative expediency of words, and does not divide them into good and bad. The language norm is a historical phenomenon, the change of which is due to the constant development of speech.
With technique on "you"
Let's consider what technical norms are. The definitions included in them are necessary to regulate human behavior in its relationship with nature and technology. Often, knowing about them and following them saves a person's life.
Technical norms are rules that indicate how a person should react to certain natural phenomena, handle tools and technical devices. Disregard for technical standards can lead to undesirable consequences. These rules are directly related to the level of development of productive forces.
The modern system of technical norms is a set of safety rules, the use of modern technologies, hygiene, sanitation, pedagogy, grammar, and professional activity. In short, in any place where a person produces material or spiritual goods, he must know and, if required, apply certain technical rules. It may also be notedprofessional work of a lawyer, who should ideally know the rules for preparing legal documents, be proficient in modern methods of recording, storing, searching for necessary information, etc.
Summarize: what is a technical norm? These are the rules for working with objects of technology and nature developed on the basis of knowledge of the basics of engineering and technology.
The norm and the standard are the same thing?
Norm and standard are very similar words that many people often confuse. We have already de alt with the meaning of the word norm. It can be used in the areas of industry, social relations, legal relations, finance, etc.
The concept of "standard" is just as broad. In principle, it can be applied (in some cases with reservations) in the same areas that we talked about earlier. Most often, the concept of "standard" is used in the industrial sector and finance. If we consider the area of social relations, then here it is not very common. Quite often you can hear the phrase "norm of behavior." What it means is immediately clear: certain rules of behavior in society. But the phrase "standard of conduct" is used extremely rarely. The same situation exists in the sphere of legal relations. The concept of "rule of law" is almost always used by lawyers, but "standard" in this context is not a very common term in lawyers' circles.
Normative - an indicator that must be followed. There can be no recommendations regarding the standard. If the norm denotes the average performancecertain human actions that must be adhered to, then the standard is a clear goal that a person must achieve through his work.
In those areas where the word "standard" is used much less frequently than the first term, the concept of "norm" in a number of contexts can be its synonym. For example, this is possible if we are talking about the established standards of human behavior within a particular community. If following them is obligatory for others, due to the regularity of their nature, then they must be considered as "standards". But since the phrase "norm in actions" is almost never used, the phrase "norm of behavior" is used as a synonym for this term to refer to the corresponding social rules.
Comparison of two categories
The definitions of "norm" and "norm" are related. The second indicator cannot exist without the first. This means that at first the most characteristic amount of work or its result is established for the employee, and the person’s capabilities are determined in terms of regularly achieving this goal. A norm is formed, which is a typical indicator for these actions. In the event that the result is recognized as regularly achievable, then over time it becomes a standard that other people must follow. Both concepts can be very close or completely coincide. But there are situations when the standard should be higher or lower than the norm. ATIn such cases, it is necessary to take into account the probability of successful achievement of the goal by people under the established requirements.
Cultural categories
Deciphering the norm in culture is very simple: this is what is normal for the cultural environment in which a person lives. Travelers and anthropologists often come into conflict with it. It is described very well by the proverb “with your charter, you don’t go to someone else’s monastery.” For example, for Muslim states, polygamous marriages are the norm. For some African peoples - a tribal system. Etc. The subcultural norm works on the same principle. For example, it is normal for rastas to use psychotropic substances. For punks, wear tattered clothes. For emo - dye your hair in an unusual color. As you can see, the list is very long.
Ideological norm
In this situation, some ideal person from the point of view of a certain ideology acts as a model of the norm. As a rule, people who share the main ideas of a particular ideology should be equal to it. The brightest ideological norms were formed in the 19th and 20th centuries. For the communists it was a Soviet man, for the Nazis it was an ubermensch, for the followers of the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche it was a superman, etc.
Contextual norm
From the point of view of some psychological approaches, any behavior, even the most inadequate, can look normal within a certain context. An example is the case when a father beats a child with hatred, claiming thatit's for his good. In a family where this type of relationship is accepted, the child receives two opposite messages, because of which his psyche has to be divided.
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