Student’s Guide to Research

            First I would wish to provide a summary of the notions of norms, values, rules, beliefs and taboos.  In general values are thoughts in the context of that thing that are morally right, norms, on the other hand, are the rules that are shared in a culture and are utilized in governing social behaviors which determine what should be done and thought of (Pg. 56).  Folkways are norms violation and mores are the norms that are held strongly by a particular culture and the violation of such norms is considered as a serious community offense (Pg. 56).  Taboos are the norms that are strongly held by a particular culture, the violation is beyond thoughts as it is a high offense to the community.  Laws are the codified norms that are utilized to govern individual behaviors while beliefs are a set of specific thoughts that individuals accept them to be true to them (Pg. 56).

I come from a community that does not believe in the competition of materials and is comprised of human culture development. Religion is highly respected as well as families.  Community norms and cultures are dearly held and offending or acting contrary may result in undesirable consequences.  In this community, our language is American English and individuals will do all it requires to guard the national flag. This community is viewed as conservative and patriotic based on the values and beliefs. One major area that requires further research is in regard to taboos and beliefs.   This is to identify why communities still hold the norms and why they are believed to be essential. This is important as it helps in establishing why individuals from a particular community and characterized with certain beliefs and behaviors.  This will further grow the concepts of values and community laws which are essential in governing a community’s act.

Reference

Culture: concepts and application, non-material and material culture. Pg.55-56. Pdf