Do as vs do as I sayconformity and imitation in social norm learning

Abstract

Most of the time, our behaviours follow social norms. In contrast to laws, social normsare informal,implicit rules social groups spontaneously establish to set apart appropriate from inappropriate behaviours. In this sense, social norms are the grammarof society. When we relate to our loved ones, with our work colleagues, andgo to restaurants, we are subject to countless norms that regulate our social interactions. They influence our decisions on how to treat people, the work we choose, and whom to marry. Norms may make people honest, healthy, environmentally friendly, or fair, but they can also make themheavy smokers, alcoholics, corrupt, or tax evaders. However, the nature of social normsis a subject of intense controversy. The social sciences have produced numerous theories of norms. However,most of these accounts do not satisfactorily explain why our behaviours are not always consistent with our words and values, much less with the explicit laws issued by a public authority. The expressiondo as I say, not as I do can summarize the problem. To study this problem,it is necessary first toaddress the issueof social norm emergence and transmission. How do norms get established? Where do they get their motivational grip? This is the question I will address in this thesis. I will attempt to provide a general answer and test it through astudy. The general answer starts by referring to Bicchieri's theory of social norms as social expectations because it best explainstheir motivational force. Then, the initial question can be reformulated as the origin and acquisition of social expectations. The answer to thisquestion points tothe psychological mechanisms of imitation and conformity. I will argue that such mechanisms are very specific, and their operation is grounded in need for social bonds, the human motivation to forge affective bonds with significant others. The motivation to affiliate is what gives imitation its social function, vital to learning what is socially expected and enforced; in other words, to learn the social norms. To test this hypothesis, I present an empirical study on norm compliance during the COVID-19 pandemic among youngstersaged 11 to 30. Specifically, I have examined their behaviour when experiencing conflicting norms from different social referents to determineto what extent individual behaviour is sensitive to perceived social expectations (even when they areagainst self-interest) andwhich expectations are considered(family, peers). The results validate the fruitfulness of the adopted theoretical framework,reveal the motivational force of social expectations, and how relevant social referents depend ontheir affective value. They also show differences based on age. For example, in late adolescence, individuals tend to follow more peer norms than inearly adolescence, according to this principle of the affective value of the social referent. The results shed light on our initial do as I say, not as I do problem. The causes of dishonesty and hypocrisy are not found in individual egoism but are related to the social pressure to behave against one's interestsand valuesand the elbow room available to individuals to manage to conform. The results also shed light on how to design social change interventions to modify norms or to increase conformity.