4.3: Values and Norms

Values and Norms Definition

1 CE

To me values and norms are defined by how people perceive the world and what is acceptable. The values someone holds may change over time and the norms the perceive may also change, but people always see them. Values would be the ways that people live their lives, and how they want things to be. Norms would be how most people act, which is often misrepresented or influenced by media.

Media Influences on Norms

2

Over time media can implant messages on people and sometimes lead to mimicking of actions that could be unhealthy due to th eperception that those actions are normal.

Advertisement Influence

3

The “norms” showed by advertisements are typically exaggerated or false and formed with the intention to sell a product. Advertisements can influence people to make poor decisions, and one critical example the text uses is the are of advertisements dedicated to smoking. The text explains that a young attractive person smoking in an add can cause others to be interested in doing something unhealthy to be cool, (Mental 10). The same kind of logic can also be seen in other advertisements.

Legal Influence

4

Laws can also have an impact on the decisions people make as they get older and realize the potential concequences of their actions. The text supports this by saying, “Although a younger child might know that stealing money can result in jail time adolescent have the ability to under- stand legalities in a more abstract way,” (Mental 11). Of course this doesn’t stop everyone from making poor decisions, but it does influence some people.

School Influence

5

School can influence kids by being a platform for popular views to spread. The text supports this by saying, “a child who had certain values or beliefs before entering junior or senior high school might make changes due to the predominant school views,” (10). These norms could either harm or help kids, but carries the risk of the “cool” kids negatively influencing others.

My Experience

6

One time that I was able to accurately utilize peer and societal norms and values was in realizing the issues with gambling. I will admit that throughout most of my life I have been surrounded by
people who support gambling, and don’t realize that the ads they see are meant to take advantage of norms in which people spend money in order to get more money, which they value. Through doing more research I found out many strategies that are used to make money off of people who don’t know better.

My Experience Part 2

7

I hope to teach people about the issues of gambling, and many of my friends agree with me and have seen the issues with gambling. Hopefully the message can spread that gambling and the lottery take advantage of people, and according the the text is not a sign of good citizenship, and it describes by saying good citizenship, “means not taking advantage of other people,” (Mental 12).