1 social values ​​and norms. social values

Of greatest interest to sociology are behavioral elements- social values ​​and norms. They largely determine not only the nature of people's relationships, their moral orientations, behavior, but also the spirit society as a whole, its originality and difference from other societies. Isn't this originality the poet had in mind when he exclaimed: "There is a Russian spirit ... there it smells of Russia!"

social values- these are the life ideals and goals that, in the opinion of the majority in a given society, one should strive to achieve. Such in different societies can be, for example, patriotism, respect for ancestors, hard work, responsible attitude to business, freedom of enterprise, law-abidingness, honesty, love marriage, fidelity in married life, tolerance and goodwill in the relationship of people , wealth, power, education, spirituality, health, etc.

Such values ​​of society stem from generally accepted ideas about what is good and what is bad; what is good and what is evil; what should be achieved and what should be avoided, etc. Having taken root in the minds of most people, social values, as it were, predetermine their attitude to certain phenomena and serve as a kind of guideline in their behavior.

For instance, if the idea of ​​a healthy lifestyle is firmly established in society, then most of its representatives will have a negative attitude towards the production of high-fat products by factories, the physical passivity of people, malnutrition and passion for alcohol and tobacco.

Of course, goodness, benefit, freedom, equality, justice, etc. are far from equally understood. For some, say, state paternalism (when the state takes care of and controls its citizens to the smallest detail) is the highest justice, while for others it is an infringement of freedom and bureaucratic arbitrariness. That's why individual value orientations may be different. But at the same time, in every society there are general, prevailing assessments of life situations. They form social values which, in turn, serve as the basis for the development of social norms.

Unlike social values social norms but-syat is not only an orienting character. In some cases, they are recommend, and in others directly require observance of certain rules and thereby regulate the behavior of people and their joint life in society. The whole variety of social norms can be conditionally combined into two groups: informal and formal norms.

Informal social norms - this naturally folding in society, patterns of right behavior that people are expected or recommended to adhere to without coercion. This may include such elements of spiritual culture as etiquette, customs and traditions, rites (say, baptisms, initiations into students, burials), ceremonies, rituals, good habits and manners (say, a respectable habit of informing your trash to the bin, no matter how far it is and, most importantly, even when no one sees you), etc.

Separately, in this group, the mores of society, or its moral, moral standards. These are the most cherished and revered by the people patterns of behavior, non-compliance with which is perceived by others as especially painful.

For instance, in many societies it is considered highly immoral for a mother to abandon her young child to the mercy of fate; or when adult children do the same to their old parents.

Compliance with informal social norms is ensured by the power of public opinion (disapproval, condemnation, contempt, boycott, ostracism, etc.), as well as due to sanity, self-restraint, conscience and awareness of the personal duty of each person.

Formal social norms present specially designed and established rules of conduct (for example, military regulations or rules for using the subway). A special place here belongs to legal, or legal regulations- laws, decrees, government resolutions and other regulatory documents. They, in particular, protect the rights and dignity of a person, his health and life, property, public order, and the security of the country. Formal rules usually provide for certain sanctions, g. s. either reward (approval, reward, premium, honor, fame, etc.) or punishment (disapproval, demotion, dismissal, fine, arrest, imprisonment, death penalty, etc.) for observing or non-compliance with the rules.

social norm (from lat. norma- a rule, a model, a measure) - a rule of behavior established in society that regulates relations between people, social life.

Signs of social norms:

1) They are general rules for members of the society.

2) They do not have a specific addressee and operate continuously in time.

4) Arise in connection with the volitional, conscious activity of people.

5) Arise in the process of historical development.

Ways to regulate people's behavior by social norms:

1) Permission- an indication of behaviors that are desirable, but not required.

2) prescription- an indication of the required action.

3) Ban- an indication of actions that should not be taken.

Types of social norms

In addition, there are rules universal, national, class, group, interpersonal.

According to the degree of obligation, social norms are divided into:

1) encouraging;

4) imperative (from lat. imperatives- imperative).

Functions of social norms:

1) Regulate the general course of socialization.

2) Integrate the personality into the social environment.

3) Serve as models, standards of appropriate behavior.

4) Determine the boundaries of acceptable behavior of people in relation to the specific conditions of their life.

5) Control deviant behavior.

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QUESTIONS:

1. Establish a correspondence between the types of social norms and the signs illustrating them: for each position given in the first column, select the corresponding position in the second column. Write down the resulting sequence of numbers.

Social norms and values ​​are the rules of human behavior established in society. They can be called samples, standards, a kind of guidelines, boundaries, outlining the scope of what is permitted in relation to certain conditions of human life. Do not forget that for people one of the main conditions for existence in the world around them is the ability to interact with their own kind.

Social norms are usually divided into several types:

• legal;
• morality;
• political;
• religious;
• aesthetic.

Let's look at them in a little more detail. For example, legal norms are rules of conduct that have a specific form. They are established by the state and supported by all legal methods, including force. It is worth noting that these norms are necessarily expressed in official form, for example, in the form of laws. In each particular society, that is, the state, there can be only one legal system.

Moral standards are the rules for human behavior. They are a clear expression of ideas, for example, about good and bad, or about good and evil, and so on. In society, their violation is traditionally met with disapproval. As a rule, a person who does not comply with these norms has to face universal condemnation.

Political - here the name speaks for itself. Therefore, in this case, a brief explanation can be dispensed with. They, in fact, regulate political activity within society.

Religious - these are the rules of conduct that were formed by our ancestors and recorded in sacred books. Well, aesthetic norms reinforce a person's idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe beautiful and the ugly, the elegant and the rough, and so on.

Speaking in general, it must be said that modern society sets clear boundaries and boundaries for people's behavior. Of course, they may differ in different countries, but the main features here are, in fact, the same for everyone. A person who violates the norms of the law (that is, legal) can be sent to prison. With others, things are not so clear cut. For example, a violator of religious norms is quite capable of being excommunicated from the church, but there is no longer any talk of restricting freedom.

It turns out that a person, on the one hand, is given a certain freedom of action. At the same time, on the other hand, there are clear limits and boundaries, beyond which it is extremely undesirable. Naturally, people, acting within a certain freedom, still behave differently. At the same time, the more developed the society in which he lives, the wider the freedom provided there, but, nevertheless, going beyond what is permitted is also punished much more severely.

One very important point should be noted here. In any case, society influences human behavior with the help of established social norms - in the vast majority of cases, people are simply forced to obey them. Those who break the rules should be prepared for certain sanctions against them. Everything is very simple - existence in society requires a respectful attitude to established norms. Otherwise, the situation can get completely out of control.

In society, social norms are extremely important, since they contribute to the unification of individuals into groups, regulate the overall process of socialization, are standards of behavior and control various kinds of deviations. In other words, they are the guardians of values ​​and guardians of order, reflecting what is most valuable for this group of individuals or for society.

social values

Now let's look at another aspect. If, in principle, everything is clear with the norms, then social values ​​are a much broader and more multifaceted phenomenon. They are a priori important for every person, because decisions once made in most cases become a line of behavior that people then try to adhere to every day throughout their lives. It turns out that social values ​​are a way of determining and regulating the behavior of an individual. They help a person to distinguish the essential from the meaningless, the significant from the unnecessary, and so on.

Russian psychologist Dmitry Leontiev, who studied social values ​​in detail, identified 3 forms of existence:

• social ideals;
• their substantive embodiment;
• motivational structures.

At the same time, the scientist noted that each of them is able to flow into another.

It often happens in a person's life when one value system is confirmed, while the other is simply discarded due to its inconsistency. As a result, a kind of hierarchy arises, containing concepts that are applicable to each person.

Social values ​​are formed individually for everyone, since even within the same society it is very difficult to find two people who have exactly the same values. Often a person has to face a rather difficult moment when his principles do not correspond or even completely contradict the new systems. In addition, situations of inconsistencies between real life and theoretical foundations are not uncommon. Here the process of formation of multi-layer systems is already beginning, in which the proclaimed values ​​often diverge from the realities.

Social values ​​are formed in a person from early childhood. The main role in this process is played by the people surrounding this or that individual. It is especially worth highlighting the family, since it is the example set by the parents that forms certain values ​​in the child’s head. Of course, as the child grows older, certain changes are simply inevitable. Nevertheless, the basic foundations that were laid down by parents, such as the idea of ​​good and bad, will remain with a person throughout his life.

Under the social values ​​and norms understand the rules established in society, patterns, standards of human behavior that regulate social life. They define the boundaries of acceptable behavior of people in relation to the specific conditions of their life.

Signs of social values:

• 1) They are general rules for members of the society.
• 2) They do not have a specific addressee and operate continuously in time.
• 3) They are directed to the regulation of social relations.
• 4) Arise in connection with the volitional, conscious activity of people.
• 5) Arise in the process of historical development.
• 6) Their content corresponds to the type of culture and the nature of the social organization of society.

Ways to regulate people's behavior by social values:

• 1) Permission - an indication of behaviors that are desirable, but not required.
• 2) Prescription - an indication of the required action.
• 3) Prohibition - an indication of actions that should not be performed.

Any classification of values ​​by type and level is invariably

conditional due to the fact that social and cultural values ​​are introduced into it. In addition, it is difficult to insert one or another value that has its own ambiguity (for example, family) in a certain column. Nevertheless, we can give the following conditionally ordered classification of social values.

Vital: life, health, physicality, security, well-being, human condition (satiety, peace, cheerfulness), strength, endurance, quality of life, natural environment (environmental values), practicality, consumption, etc.

Social: social position, diligence, wealth, work, family, unity, patriotism, tolerance, discipline, enterprise, risk-taking, social equality, gender equality, ability to achieve, personal independence, professionalism, active participation in society, focus on past or future, extralocal or compatriotic orientation, level of consumption.

Political: freedom of speech, civil liberties, good ruler, law, order, constitution, civil peace.

Moral: good, good, love, friendship, duty, honor, honesty, disinterestedness, decency, fidelity, mutual assistance, justice, respect for elders and love for children.

Religious: God, divine law, faith, salvation, grace, ritual, Scripture and Tradition.

Aesthetic: beauty (or, conversely, the aesthetics of the ugly), style, harmony, adherence to tradition or novelty, cultural identity or imitation.

Let us consider some of them in more detail, accepting that the division into these categories is conditional and the same values ​​can be accepted in different areas.

Family, relatives, older generation. In all cultures, there is a greater or lesser degree of respect for these social elements, which is expressed both in the behavior of people (respect of the younger for the elders) and in the forms of address.

In Asian and African cultures, age is usually revered as a sign of wisdom and experience, and sometimes becomes one of the cores of culture. The identification of an individual is carried out in his identification with his ancestors, although there is wide variability in resolving this issue for different cultures. If a number of nomadic peoples consider it a matter of honor to remember about 9-12 previous generations in different branches, then in a modern industrial society a person rarely keeps the memory of more than two generations of ancestors in a straight line.

Interpersonal relationships. The attitude towards equality or hierarchy in relations with other people is one of the criteria for the difference between cultures. What a European perceives as humility, obedience, a person's renunciation of his freedom, for other cultures means recognition of the right of a respected and influential person to lead. Orientation towards individualism or solidarity in many ways distinguishes the West and Eastern cultures, which will be discussed in more detail in subsequent chapters.

Wealth. Material wealth as a value is inherent, it would seem, in all cultures. However, in reality, the attitude towards it is very different, and the very object of wealth depends on the nature of the economy. For nomadic peoples, the most important wealth is cattle, for a settled peasant, land; in a feudal society, the status of an individual was directly related to the wealth demonstrated in the way of life.

The attitude to wealth depends largely on the dominant factor of sociality. In pre-industrial society, conspicuous wealth played an important role, as it was the most obvious evidence of the power and influence of its owners, their belonging to the upper class. The accumulation of wealth, so necessary in any society, lowered the status of the owner, unless it was intended for later distribution or use for the common good. The estates that own money wealth - merchants and usurers - enjoyed mostly low prestige, and especially usurers as people who benefit from the difficulties of other people.

The situation changes radically in industrial society. As capitalism grows, it is the accumulated and hidden capital put into circulation that acquires the greatest value in the public mind. The influence and power of the owner depend on the movement of capital through invisible financial channels, even if the owner himself led a relatively modest lifestyle. At a later stage, during the period of mass production, a new turn occurs, expanded consumption grows, turning into conspicuous consumption, in which goods and services are purchased not because of their own properties, but because they are expensive, that is, accessible only to wealthy people . Turning to conspicuous consumption not only brings satisfaction, but also raises the status of the rich in the opinion and attitude of others. This tendency is penetrating into other strata, who may feel the satisfaction of sharing in prestigious extravagance.

Labor as a value. Labor has by no means only economic significance or serves as a factor determining social relations. Labor is also an important cultural value. This is always present both in folk wisdom and in more complex systems of morality or ideology. So, in many languages ​​there are similar proverbs: “Patience and work will grind everything” (and vice versa: “Water does not flow under a lying stone”). In fiction, Voltaire elegantly expressed his attitude to work: "Labor eliminates three great misfortunes from us: boredom, vice and need." True, in the spirit of his aristocratic circle, he put boredom in the first place.

Of course, the attitude to work, as well as to other values, is determined not only by spiritual or moral criteria, but turns out to be contradictory, depending largely on other factors, among which the following should be highlighted: a) production, i.e.

the class status of a person and his attitude to property, since assessments of his position for an entrepreneur and a hired worker can differ sharply; b) professional, covering the prestige of a particular profession; c) technological, that is, the attitude of a person to one or another side of production (machine, conveyor, computer), which can vary from high interest to indifference and even hostility.

According to the listed parameters, obviously, the attitude towards work can be negative as a source of oppression, dependence, as a factor that hinders personal development and suppresses vitality. Even in ancient Greece, a myth arose about Sisyphus, doomed to perform hard and meaningless work. In a Christian or Muslim paradise, a person was forever freed from labor and could only indulge in sensual or spiritual joys. In folk tales, often the lazy fool, devoid of greed, but possessing a good heart, succeeds more than the constantly preoccupied and tight-fisted hoarder.

In any class-differentiated system, the subjective disinterest of workers in their work is replaced by coercion, which can be in the form of direct coercion (work "under pressure", under threat of punishment) or purely economic necessity, i.e., physical survival, in maintaining their families.

Of course, there is both socially useless and harmful labor activity and what is in the interests of an individual, group or collective, but may diverge from the interests of society as a whole. Therefore, the regulation of labor activity requires the combination of labor orientations with moral motives.

In addition, there are universal, national, class, group, interpersonal norms.

Thus, values ​​are not something that can be bought or sold, they are something that is worth living for. The most important function of social values ​​is to play the role of selection criteria from alternative courses of action. The values ​​of any society interact with each other, being a fundamental content element of this culture.

The relationship between culturally predetermined values ​​is characterized by the following two features. Firstly, according to the degree of their social significance, values ​​are formed into a certain hierarchical structure, subdivided into values ​​of a higher and lower order, more preferred and less preferred. Secondly, the relationship between these values ​​can be both harmonious, mutually reinforcing, and neutral, even antagonistic, mutually exclusive. These relations between social values, developing historically, fill the culture of this type with concrete content.

The main function of social values ​​- to be a measure of assessments - leads to the fact that in any system of values ​​it is possible to distinguish:

what is most preferred (acts of behavior approaching the social ideal - what is admired). The most important element of the value system is the zone of higher values, the value of which does not need any justification (what is above all, what is inviolable, sacred and cannot be violated under any circumstances);

• what is considered normal, correct (as they do in most cases);
• what is not approved is condemned and - at the extreme pole of the value system - appears as an absolute, self-evident evil that is not allowed under any circumstances.

The formed system of values ​​structures, arranges for the individual a picture of the world. An important feature of social values ​​is that, due to their universal recognition, they are perceived by members of society as something taken for granted, values ​​are spontaneously realized, reproduced in socially significant actions of people. With all the variety of substantive characteristics of social values, it is possible to single out some objects that are inevitably associated with the formation of a value system. Among them:

• definition of human nature, the ideal of personality;
• picture of the world, the universe, perception and understanding of nature;
• the place of man, his role in the system of the universe, the relationship of man to nature;
• relation of man to man;
• the nature of society, the ideal of social order.

Note that throughout life one system of values ​​can be confirmed, the other can be discarded due to its inconsistency. As a result, a certain hierarchy is formed, which contains concepts that are applicable and relevant to each person. Social values ​​are a concept that is formed individually for everyone, therefore it is difficult to find two people in one society who would have the same system. Very often an individual is faced with the fact that his principles run counter to new systems, or the theoretical foundations do not fit into real life. In this case, multi-layered systems begin to form, in which the proclaimed values ​​often diverge from reality.

Value orientations are the result of the socialization of individuals, that is, their mastery of all existing types of social norms and requirements that apply to individuals or members of a social group. The basis of their formation lies in the interaction of the experience that people have with samples of the existing social culture. On the basis of these concepts, one's own idea of ​​the nature of personal claims is formed. Business relations always contain a value aspect in their structure. It defines explicit and implicit standards of behavior. There is such a thing as the professional values ​​of social work, denoting the stable ideas and beliefs of people about the nature of goals, ways to achieve them and the principles of the future life. These values ​​guide the social worker to the basic principles of his behavior in work and responsibility for his activities. They help an employee of any field to determine the rights and obligations that he has as a professional. Social values ​​begin to form in early childhood. Their main source is the people around the child. In this case, the example of the family plays a fundamental role. Children, watching their parents, begin to imitate them in everything. Therefore, when deciding to have children, future mothers and fathers must understand what responsibility they take on.

Class: 11

Target: to form an idea of ​​social norms and values, of social control as a special mechanism for maintaining public order.

Lesson type: learning new material.

During the classes

Plan:

1. Social values ​​and norms.
2. social sanctions.

I. Learning new material.

Creating the human race, the gods took care of it with truly divine generosity: they gave reason, speech, fire, abilities for craftsmanship and art. Everyone was endowed with some kind of talent. Builders, blacksmiths, doctors, etc. appeared. Man began to get food, make beautiful things, build dwellings. But the gods failed to teach people how to live in society. And when people got together for some big deal - to build a road, a canal, fierce disputes broke out between them, and often the case ended in a general collapse. People were too selfish, too intolerant and cruel, everything was decided only by brute force ...

And the threat of self-destruction hung over the human race.

Then the father of the gods Zeus, feeling his special responsibility, ordered to introduce shame and truth into people's lives.

The gods were delighted with the wisdom of the father. They asked him only one question: how to distribute shame and truth among people? After all, the gods bestow talents selectively: they will send the abilities of a builder to one, a musician to another, a healer to a third, and so on. And what to do with shame and truth?

Zeus replied that all people should have shame and truth. Otherwise, there will be no cities, no states, no people on Earth...

What is this myth about?

Today in the lesson we will talk about social values ​​and norms - the regulators of human behavior.

1. Social values ​​and norms

We encounter values ​​at every step. But how often do we think about them? The saying “Look inside yourself” suggests that the basis of our morality should be an internal dialogue, a person’s judgment on himself, in which he himself is both an accuser, a defender, and a judge. And what determines the essence of this monologue? Of course, those values ​​that move a person. What are values ​​and norms?

The class is invited to assemble a whole concept from words.

There are values ​​that the absolute majority of the inhabitants of the planet worship. What values ​​am I talking about? On universal (eternal) values:

The class is divided into three groups.

Exercise 1. Each group should make up a short story (5-6 sentences) using partially given words (values).

Task 2. After studying the material of § 6 "Social norms", make a cluster, which social norms permeate our lives.

Regulation of human behavior by social norms is carried out in three ways:

• permission - an indication of behaviors that are desirable, but not required;
• prescription - an indication of the required action;
• prohibition - an indication of actions that should not be performed.

Carefully study the data in the table "Social norms" and indicate which of the presented norms is a ban? What - prescription? What - permission?

social norms

2. Social sanctions - means of establishing social norms.

Sanctions exist in the form of rewards and punishments, which can be formal or informal.

Formal positive sanctions (F+) - public approval from official organizations (government, institution, creative union): government awards, state awards and scholarships, bestowed titles, academic degrees and titles, construction of a monument, presentation of diplomas, admission to high positions and honorary functions .

informal positive sanctions (H+) - public approval that does not come from official organizations: friendly praise, compliments, tacit recognition, benevolent disposition, applause, fame, honor, flattering reviews, recognition of leadership or expert qualities, smile.

Formal negative sanctions (F-) - punishments provided for by legal laws, government decrees, administrative instructions, orders, orders: deprivation of civil rights, imprisonment, arrest, dismissal, fine, confiscation of property, demotion, demolition, death penalty.

Informal negative sanctions (N-) - punishments not provided for by official authorities: censure, remarks, ridicule, mockery, a cruel joke, an unflattering nickname, refusal to maintain relations, spreading rumors, slander, an unfriendly review, a complaint, writing a feuilleton, exposing article.

II. Consolidation of what has been learned.

Answer the questions:

1. What's happened social norm?
2. What social norms exist in society? Explain their purpose.
3. What role do social sanctions play?

Homework:§ 6, learn.

Attachment 1 . Worksheet for the lesson "Social Values ​​and Norms"