Article background:
The article, “Norm and Beliefs: How Change Occurs” by Christina Bicchieri and Hugo Mercier argues that deviation from societal norms is a difficult task to accomplish. This article is found on the University of Pennsylvania website. Bicchieri and Mercier discuss societal norms and the consequences of deviating from them. The common argument found in this article is that societal norms rarely change. This is because we expect that the consequences of divergence will be worse than the euphoria of freedom.

Societal norms/common deviances:
Bicchieri claims that societal norms are “behavioral rules supported by a combination of empirical and normative expectations” (Bicchieri 2, 3). She claims that these norms derive from society’s expectations for the world as a whole. These standards can coerce individuals to respond in two ways. One of the responses to societal norms is to conform to the practices that everyone else is partaking in. Individuals who choose this route do it out of fear of being rejected or given a “punishment” for deviating. The other route is to be divergent, or to deviate. Through this route, people often do it to prevent being similar to everyone. However, few choose to do this, because of fear of persecution from peers, as well as strangers. Lane is sitting in the diner with Franny when he looks at her and thinks that she is, “a girl who [is] not only extraordinarily pretty but, so much the better, not too categorically cashmere sweater and flannel skirt (Salinger 11). Lane is with Franny primarily because of the status he wants to achieve. Although it seems like he cares about her, he still solely uses her for his own benefit. Using Franny, Lane is able to gain the approval of his peers, as well as others.

Consequences of straying from societal norms:
Some people even choose to “follow a norm because they believe that others would shun them if they didn’t” (Bicchieri 10). As mentioned before, if there is even a slight doubt that someone will be ridiculed or excluded for deviating, the person will more than likely choose to follow the norm. Individuals are often afraid of the rumors or the judging looks that come from this divergence, so they choose the safer route of being a follower. However, this can lead to damaging health issues within the individual, such as depression, anxiety, and constant stress, simply because they are trying to please society. Their true self yearns to be free as they try to prevent the judgment that they could potentially receive from others. Worst of all, society makes these norms because a group of people comes up with one standard, and everyone else is too afraid to admit their true opinion on the matter. Franny is starting to realize that she no longer wants to conform in order to be accepted: “I’m so horribly conditioned to accept everybody’s values (…). I’m sick of not having the courage to be an absolute nobody” (Salinger 30). Franny is tired of everyone giving her opinions on how she should behave, dress, and talk. She wants to be her own person. She wants to be able to do whatever she wants without someone watching her every move. Because Franny solely wants to stray from these norms, but she feels as if she cannot, she falls into a depressive state of mind, which damages her health, as well as her relationships with others.

Conclusion:
Overall, society places these noms, because they themselves are insecure. They try to bring others down in order to pull themselves up. These so-called “punishments” alter the truth, which is that these norms are not really norms, only suggestions. However, this still places damaging effects on individuals’ health, freedom of speech, etc., because they do not express their feelings about these “norms,” which leads them to believe that they are real. This false perception makes it seem as if there is a punishment for deviating from norms, when the truth is that there never was a punishment, only a suggestion.

Works Cited