The 9 most important types of rules

A summary of the main types of rules: legal, religious, etiquette, etc.

Norms exist in all societies and cultures. They are behavioral guidelines that guide our conduct, a kind of explicit or implicit rules that help us understand how to act in different situations.

But there are many ways in which norms are expressed. In this article we will learn about 9 types of rules according to three classification parametersTheir type of indication, their degree of formality and their scope of application. We will know the characteristics of each type and the penalties for non-compliance.

What are norms?

Norms are guidelines or rules of behavior, which indicate to us how we must act and how not to act, in according to which areas.. That is to say, in a certain way they regulate what is licit and what is not, "what can be done and what cannot be done". That is why they have an implicit ethical component.

They are a kind of agreement that we accept when we enter a specific environment (for example in a school, in a church, in a club...). There are different types of norms depending on the criteria or parameter we use to classify them.

Moreover, norms evolve over time, they change; in the different cultures, there are also different types of rules (more flexible, more rigid, more restricted...). In other words, culture, at times, and in certain areas, plays an important role in the elaboration of the different types of norms.

Functions

The most important functions of the different types of norms are: on the one hand, they serve to ensure a certain degree of control in society; on the other hand, regulate behavior and tell us how to behave in certain contexts when we do not know how to act. in certain contexts when we are not sure how to act.

On the other hand, they allow us to establish a "unit of measurement" to assess and evaluate people's behavior. In addition, another of their functions is that they they help to satisfy the needs we have in society and can avoid important social conflicts.and can avoid important social conflicts.

Main types of norms

We can classify the different types of norms according to three different parameters that we will see.

1. According to their degree of formality

In this sense, norms can be formal or informal:

1.1. Formal rules

Formal rules are usually presented in writing (or by means of a symbol, depending on the context). For example, a formal rule would be "no eating on the bus", or "the employee must give at least 15 days' notice before leaving work".

These are rules that are agreed and formally communicated (more or less formally). (with greater or lesser formality). In addition, this type of rule usually contemplates the negative consequence of not complying with the rule.

1. 2. Informal rules

On the other hand, informal rules are tacit rulesThey do not need to be explicitly expressed or stated, since they are norms that are understood or presupposed by the context. These types of norms are implicitly accepted by people.

For example, informal norms would be: "do not shout in church", "do not go naked in the street", or "do not hit in school".

2. According to their type of indication

According to the type of indication or behavior to follow (or not to follow) established by the rule, we find two types of rules, which we will see below. In other words, Does the rule prohibit a behavior or does it indicate a behavior to be followed? Let's see the difference.

2.1. Prescriptive norms

Prescriptive norms indicate behaviors that must be followed. That is, they establish guidelines for appropriate or adequate behavior. For example: "take a shower before entering the pool", "maintain silence inside the library" or "close the door after leaving".

2.2. Proscriptive rules

In contrast, proscriptive rules indicate behaviors to be avoided, behaviors that cannot be done, i.e., they are more about prohibitions than prohibitions, they are more like prohibitions. This is why they are generally less flexible.

For example, proscriptive rules could be: "do not step on the lawn", "no smoking" or "do not bathe on the beach with a red flag".

3. According to their scope of application

According to the third classification parameter, their scope of application, we can find 5 types of rules:

3.1. social norms

Social norms are obligatory "covenants" that we must follow when we are in society. (in the street, in public places...), and that were agreed at the time in a rather spontaneous way. In other words, they are rules that initially arose in this way, with respect between people in mind.

Their function is to ensure a good coexistence among citizens. Failure to comply with any of them generally implies a sanction for the citizen, but this sanction is social, not legal (for example, social exclusion). An example would be not stepping on the grass in parks, or not littering the public space; non-compliance is very likely to generate rejection by citizens.

Some social norms have served as a basis for the elaboration of legal norms by the State. That is, they have been derived from social norms. These types of norms are different in each culture.

3.2. Religious norms

These types of norms have to do, as their name indicates, with a specific religious current or philosophy. That is to say, each religion establishes its norms, and they refer to what a believer of that religion is expected to do or not to do. They are closely related to morality and ethics.They often allude to "good and evil".

In the Christian religion, for example, the fact of not complying with certain religious norms is a sin. On the other hand, failure to comply with them is related to a more spiritual sanction (for example: saying "X" number of prayers of the Our Father, or praying the Virgin Mary).

These sanctions will obviously vary from one religion to another, and from one culture to another.and from one culture to another. In addition, the seriousness of the sin will also have an influence, and there will even be talk of "going to hell" in the case of the most serious violations of religious norms. Religious norms can be found written in the Bible (in the case of the Christian tradition), in sacred texts or documents, etc.

3.3. Legal or juridical norms

Continuing with the types of norms according to their scope of application, we find the legal or juridical norms. These are the "official" norms in each city or country; their compliance is obligatory for all.They are the "official" rules in each city or country; compliance with them is mandatory for everyone. They guide and govern how we citizens should behave (civil behavior). They are rules that must be written and reflected in some legal document.

These rules are are established by the legal and judicial institutions that regulate society. Failure to comply with them entails certain types of sanctions. These sanctions can be administrative (fines) or criminal (jail, criminal record...). They are a type of rules that prevent major misfortunes from happening within society (e.g. serious recklessness, murders...).

They have a lot to do with social norms, and with what is "right" and what is "wrong" within a society. That is why they indicate and define how to act and how not to act, and allow us to "control" the welfare and peace of mind of citizens, businesses, companies, etc.

3.4. Moral standards

Moral standards refers to human behavior that is "right" and that which is "wrong".. In a certain way, morality makes it possible to judge the behavior of people in society. This is why moral norms have much to do with ethics, a discipline more global than morality, which assesses human behavior in society.

Ethics, moreover, attempts to understand and study the relationship between good and evil, human behavior and morality. Thus, moral norms relate to social covenants or conventions about what is ethical (correct) and what is not. These are types of norms that have (or should have) special consideration for human rights, respect and dignity of persons.respect and dignity of persons.

Moral norms are often implicit norms, of tacit agreement and compliance, which are not written down anywhere. They have to do above all with relationships with others, and are sometimes somewhat subjective (for example, moral norms could be: "not to go out with my sister's ex-partner", or "not to tell lies to the people I love").

Their non-compliance is related to a more spiritual or conscientious sanction, such as guilt or guilt-avoidance.such as guilt or remorse. In other words, the sanction has more to do with oneself. Sometimes moral norms are related to religious norms, as we have already seen, since both share aspects of personal conscience and remorse.

3.5. Rules of etiquette

Also called "rules of etiquette"these types of rules indicate how we should dress at a party, how we should behave and eat in a fancy restaurant, etc. In other words, they have more to do with elegance and good behavior in contexts with a high economic level, of great exigency or where it is important to maintain a good reputation.

Thus, they are norms that are applied in certain social contexts (dinners, parties, weddings, etc.). (dinners, parties, weddings...), especially in scenarios with a lot of "cache" or with people of high positions and responsibilities (for example royalty, politicians...).

They include, as we have already mentioned: the way of dressing, the way of eating (the cutlery to be used with each dish, for example), even the way of entering and greeting, etc.

Bibliographical references:

• Elster, J. (2009). Social Norms and the Explanation of Behavior. The Oxford Handbook of Analytical Sociology: 195-217, edited by P. Hedström and P. Bearman. New York: Oxford University Press.
• Oceja, L.V., & Jiménez, I. (2001). Toward a psychosocial typology of norms. Estudios de Psicología, 22: 227-242.
• Treasury (2002). Institutions, Social Norms and Well-being.