Week 3 #1

No doubt there are group norms at SJSU. Group norms “define the nature of the group and the relationships among the group members by expressing the collective values of the membership and by identifying the place of the group members within that value system”. (chpt. 3 pg. 46) For example, at SJSU there are jobs on campus that all have different responsibilities and duties. One job like the book store which sells books for the students does not have the same responsibilities as the person who works for Jamba juice. Within these groups they establish norms that establish the accepted rules of behavior. (pg 46)Furthermore once these norms are established each person has assigned task that must be completed and done. On the other hand when people are around friends their responsibilities and actions change. They adapt to the cultural environment around them. Names are “ the set of assumptions or expectations by members of a group or organizations concerning what kind of behavior is right or wrong, good or bad, appropriate or inappropriate, allowed or not.”(pg47)We can determine with this that while in a work environment we have to make sure we are on time, in dress code, and ready to work. In the book they define this as the explicit norm. Yet around friends we are more relaxed and laid back. In this case, we can identify this more as the implicit norm. Therefore, we can adapt based on the guidelines that each norm poses.