With the name of rules all the rules that are established to be respected are known, thus adjusting the behavior of people by virtue of a previous objective.
The rules They are established so that people interact with each other in a particular way and not in the way they want: the best example of this is the rules of a game or sport, the medium through which the development of the game should tend to reward whoever practices it best and not who performs another action.
See also: Examples of Standards (usually)
People face norms throughout our lives, and a fundamental stage of childhood is where one must begin to internalize that to live is to be in contact with rules.
Although there are usually rules within the family, school is the best setting to relate to the idea of rules: there children meet their peers for the first time. In this sense, the different criteria or sanctions to be applied when children depart from these norms are discussed, some believing that the best way to internalize respect for the norms is to be penalized for not doing so.
The generality of the norms that adults face follows, it is said, from four sources that justify the motivation for its compliance: a political order and regulations that the State decides to impose, a summation of religious sources, a set of moral principles that the community chooses to adopt, and a spontaneous social generation of norms aimed at good coexistence .
The legal rules are those whose main characteristic is to be coercive, that is, susceptible to being applied sanctions on the subject who does not carry them out.
They are external standards, since the conviction of whoever carries them out about their validity is indistinct when it comes to delivering justice for the actions carried out. The excuse of ignorance of legal norms is not even valid, since it is assumed that all people fully know the set of these rules.
The legal order of a State aims to prioritize some of these norms, but nevertheless it is still the human criterion (of judges) who ends up imparting justice. Here are some examples of legal rules:
- It is forbidden to make a child work.
- You cannot sell a product hiding a deficiency.
- All people have the right to an identity.
- You cannot have sex with minors.
- All persons must serve in the national army, if requested.
- You cannot destroy the environment.
- All citizens can run for elections.
- All people have the right to a fair trial.
- It is forbidden to kidnap any person.
- Selling spoiled food is prohibited.
See more at: Examples of Legal Norms
The moral standards They are those that establish the behavior of people by adjusting to what, has been agreed, society as a whole believes to be positive. Unlike the legal ones, they are not subject to sanction in themselves and therefore they only owe their compliance with the conviction of the people.
There are differences regarding whether morality should be the same in all societies or different, which opens up relativistic and absolutist interpretations. Here are some examples of moral norms in the generality of Western societies:
- Do not take advantage of the physical weakness of another.
- Respect the decisions of justice.
- Commit to issues that are in the public interest.
- Be honest in handling money.
- Do not boast of good deeds.
- Be honest with your word, don't lie.
- Behave with the comfort of others in mind.
- Respect elderly people.
- Respect differences with others.
- Help people who need it most.
See more at:
- Examples of Moral Norms
- Examples of Moral Trials
The social norms They tend to be detached from moral norms, since they represent what, in the day-to-day life of coexistence in society, people must do to live better.
They are an intermediate point with the legal ones, since they can be typified by the Law but not with very high penalties or by larger orders: on the contrary, at most they will be a simple contravention. It is the morality of the people, the sense of good taste and respect for others that ends up guaranteeing compliance:
- Have good manners when talking to others.
- Wait your turn within a row.
- Go out on the street dressed.
- Do not consume alcoholic beverages on public roads.
- Introduce yourself and say hello before speaking.
- Do not smoke cigarettes around children.
- Clean up before leaving the house.
- No saying bad words.
- Respect the rights of others.
- Be courteous to address a third party.
See more at: Examples of Social Norms
The religious norms They are the most different from the others, since the purpose is to enable the holiness of man. Thinking about whether its compliance is voluntary or coercive implies thinking about the freedom of choice that people have with respect to religion, since within them the norms are presented as mandatory.
Although some coincide with the legal norms, the countries with freedom of worship should not adjust their regulations to what the religions say. Here are some examples of religious norms, taken from different religions.
- Do not eat meat on fasting days.
- Pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in your life, in the Arab religion.
- Do not eat pork, in the Jewish religion.
- Do not lend money with interest, in the Arab religion.
- Give alms to the needy, in all religions.
- Get baptized, in Catholicism.
- Circumcise male children, in Judaism.
- Go to mass on Sundays.
- Maintain sexual activity only in the couple, in all religions.
- Honor God above all else.
See more at: Examples of Religious Norms
