Assignment 3: Breaching Experiment

Assignment 3: Breaching Experiment

Assignment 3: Breaching Experiment

Ethnomethodology (Breaching Experiment)
People live in different locations and have varying cultures, religions, and economic activities. Inevitably, these elements shape how people behave and interact in private and public areas since they are the foundation of community norms. Although folkways are not enforceable, they direct appropriate behaviors, implying that breaching them attracts reactions of varying magnitudes from those observing the breach. To understand the extent of behavior expectations, a breaching experiment is a perfect way of assessing social norms and conformity. The purpose of this paper is to describe a personal experience with a breaching experiment in a public space.

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The Informal Norm (Cultural Folkway) Broken
Norms dictate behavior and what people expect from others in different social contexts. Conerly et al. (2021) depicted cultural folkways as traditions that guide appropriate behavior in daily practices and expressions of culture. I broke respectful greetings by my behavior (hugging strangers without consent). Humans are social creatures and embrace greetings. Commonly, greetings have a positive effect since greeting someone warmly makes them feel welcome, appreciated, and comfortable in a place. As a critical component of healthy social interactions, greetings alleviate a feeling of rejection when people meet. However, not every form of greeting is normalized in society, particularly nonconsensual hugging. During social encounters, obtaining consent from people shows respect for personal and emotional boundaries (Candini et al., 2021; Healey, 2022). It is one way of acknowledging and valuing others’ choices, implying that hugging them unexpectedly and without consent will not be taken lightly.
Location and Time of the Breaching Experiment
Young people’s love for sports remains unmatched as they seek entertainment and career motivation. As a result, a soccer pitch, movie theatres, and other entertainment centers can readily provide access to youths as the target for social experiments. I visited a local soccer pitch to conduct the hugging experiment approximately a week ago. Sports fields are usually secure areas, with minimal likelihood of harm from adverse public reaction. I identified a group of five young fans (three gentlemen and two ladies) as they relaxed in readiness for a match. They were between twenty and twenty-five years old by age estimation. I carried out the first set of hugs and waited about two minutes while observing their reactions. I then repeated the same by hugging everyone, and I left. None resisted being hugged despite not saying anything to them.
The Social Context for the Breaching Experiment
Norms vary with social contexts. Consequently, understanding the dominant characteristics of a particular place can guide a social experimenter in determining the behaviors and reactions expected when a norm is breached. From a sociological perspective, a social context is the immediate physical and social environment where something happens (Laforest et al., 2021; McMillan et al., 2023). Defining elements include the people, the surroundings, and activities that influence how people perceive and interpret things. Accordingly, a soccer pitch is a public space where many people are unfamiliar with one another. Despite their common objective of watching a soccer match for entertainment, respect for personal space and privacy is critical when interacting with strangers. Such respect prevents social conflicts occasioned by differences in expectations, values, and attitudes among diverse populations. It underlines the need for social order and treating others how someone would like to be treated.
Sanctions in Response to the Breaching Experiment
Consensual and unexpected hugging is not a typical greeting when someone meets strangers. It is a breach of personal space, and people react differently. Sanctions are social control methods to ensure people conform to cultural norms or rules (Conerly et al., 2021). They can be positive or negative depending on how someone behaves in a particular social context. After the first set of hugs, the group showed expressions of surprise, indicating that they did not expect such a thing to happen. However, the situation changed when I repeated the nonconsensual hugging since they scolded me, showing great dissatisfaction. The three young men even followed me immediately and were ready to face me to explain why I was misbehaving. The quick reaction from the men further signifies the role of men as leaders when a danger occurs. Before things escalated, I explained what I was doing and the reason behind it, which calmed the situation.
Conclusion
Values, beliefs, and expectations are not static. They vary with social contexts and determine how people behave and expect from others. The breaching experiment typifies common reactions when people violate unwritten rules. These rules are normalized in societies as people live together and establish social order. Although they have no legal binding, cultural folkways limit adverse behaviors and prevent social conflicts. The reactions from the group I hugged randomly demonstrate that behavior in public spaces has limitations. In this case, respect for personal space is essential, notwithstanding how people know each other or what they are doing.
References
Candini, M., Battaglia, S., Benassi, M., di Pellegrino, G., & Frassinetti, F. (2021). The physiological correlates of interpersonal space. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 2611. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-82223-2
Conerly, T. J., Holmes, K., & Tamang, A. L. (2021). Introduction to Sociology 3e. OpenStax, Rice University. https://openstax.org/books/introduction-sociology-3e/pages/3-2-elements-of-culture
Healey, R. (2022). Consent, interaction, and the value of shared understanding. Legal Theory, 28(1), 35-58. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1352325222000015
Laforest, J., MacGillivray, M., & Lam, M. Y. (2021). The influence of social context and social connection on visual perceptual processes. Acta Psychologica, 215, 103270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2021.103270
McMillan, G., Milyavskaya, M., & Burns, R. J. (2023). Behavior change after context disruption: Opportunities and pitfalls. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 17(10), e12845. https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12845

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Homework Assignment

Sociology 101, Dr. Mulling

Topic: Ethnomethodology (Breaching Experiment)

Evaluation: 25 points

In preparation for your role-playing breaching experiment—using the research method of ethnomethodology—read the Chapter 3, page 75, discussion in our textbook on “Breaching Experiments.”

Carry out your breaching experiment, complete the following questions, and upload to D2L by the Sun., March 24, deadline. Refer to the background information and steps to the process on back page.

What informal norm (cultural folkway) did you break by your behavior?

Where and when did you carry out your breaching experiment?

Norms are situational, meaning that the unwritten rule/expectation for behavior depends on the social context or situation. Briefly describe the social context for where and when you completed the breaching experiment?

What sanctions did you receive in response to your breaching experiment? Were they negative, positive, severe, mild?

Sociological Background to Breaching Experiments

The concept of folkways is discussed in Chapter 3 and the concept of deviance is discussed in Chapter 7. As you will recall, folkways—or the “way of the folk”—refer to a type of cultural norm. Cultural folkways are unwritten, informal norms shared by a society. In contrast to mores and laws, which are two other types of cultural norms, folkways are rules or expectations for behavior that do not usually carry strong, negative sanctions when broken. For example, picking one’s nose in public is a violation of a norm/folkway, but nobody is going to prison for this behavior. Folkways are, however, still very much part of the “rules” of behavior within a society’s culture. You will likely receive some informal, negative sanctions as part of the informal system of social control.

The concept of microsociology refers to the level of analysis within sociology that focuses on the micro-level social forces that we observe at the level of face-to-face social interaction. As introduced in Chapter 1 in conjunction with the symbolic interactionist perspective, and as further explored within the second half of Chapter 4, micro-level social forces are the ones we experience directly as we interact—verbally and non-verbally—with other people we come across.

Identify a folkway that, if broken, may provoke an informal, negative sanction from others who observe the folkway violation. Examples: eating spaghetti with your hands, wearing mismatched clothes for a day, asking your child permission to do things at home, walking backwards down the hallway or within a public place … you get the idea. Be creative but please note that the folkway violation should be at the level of folkways—DO NOT break the law or other cultural norms that more closely approximate cultural mores and provoke severe sanctions.

Plan your strategy for carrying out this role-playing exercise and include in that plan a reminder to yourself that you want to be a keen observer of any sanctions that you might receive … likely informal, negative sanctions although former students have at times received seemingly positive sanctions. Your strategy should take into account the nature of the folkway violation and how long you will need to role play so that you have good data to report on the sanctions. Your role-playing, of course, needs to take place in the company of other people.

Implement your plan by role playing and violating a folkway at the microsociological level (at the level of face-to-face social interaction)

Write down notes of your experience and observations of sanctions you received; do this immediately after carrying out the exercise so you have a clear memory of the details. Allotting time to do this should be part of your plan.

If necessary, please let your audience know of your assignment after it is complete. In other words, let them know prior to their contacting the authorities and having you hauled off to the “looney bin.”