Social Dynamics of Norm Violations

Authors:

Abstract: Community functioning hinges on the behavior of individual community members. Members’ behavior is regulated by behavioral guidelines and expectations that prioritize desired over undesired conduct, that is, social norms. As regulators of behavior, social norms play an important role in preventing and managing potential conflict between people’s personal interests and the interests of broader social collectives. This symposium is concerned with the social dynamics of norm-violating behavior as they relate to conflict and related phenomena. The first part focuses on antecedents of norm violations. Presentations will consider temporal aspects of norm violations and specific types of violations in competitive sports and negotiations. Specifically, findings will reveal when individuals shift from normative to non-normative means of dealing with unmet expectations in competitive situations and how they misrepresent felt emotions to secure better outcomes in negotiations. The second part focuses on consequences of norm violations. Presentations will consider social responses to norm violations that shape violators’ standing in groups and their influence over others. Specifically, presenters will discuss when and how norm violators gain influence in groups and organizations, how transgressor status shapes punishment of norm violations, and how observers respond to individuals who bend (rather than break or follow) the rules. Together, this set of papers sheds new light on the role of norm violations in conflict, competition, and social influence.

Track: MORAL

Keywords: Norm violation, conflict, negotiation, competition, status, punishment, influence