Norm (sociology)

:See also cultural norm.

Levels of enforcement

Levels of enforcement, in decreasing order:

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• Violations of norms are punished with sanctions, possibly enforced by law.
• Violators of norms are considered eccentric or even deviant and are stigmatized.
• Alternatives are not presented as equal, the "normal" situation is assumed (e.g. somebody's lover is assumed to be of the opposite sex, a president is assumed to a man, a not-so-young adult is assumed to be married or to have been married, a couple is assumed to have or want children)