Break a Social Norm - Assignment Example

Number] Breaking a Social Norm Experiment (Personal Narrative) Norms and traditions act as essentialsteeping stones of a society. Thus, it is highly unlikeable to go against them or twist them according to one’s desire. Moreover, people contribute in practising them to an extent that they become inevitable to break. Invading personal space of a person is considered unethical and rude act in our society. Thus, individuals expect to comply to this norm with full conviction that others will also do the same.

To break this norm was seriously challenging as people often react in an unexpected manner due to unpredicted invasion. I chose this one after considerable thinking because of the explicit reaction I would receive through it, which will help me to learn how my norm breaking action would be perceived and how it will develop my future reputation. Thus, I planned to walk into the bedroom of my roommate without knocking and at an inappropriate time. Bedrooms are a kind of personal space where you just cannot march in whenever one feels like it.

As it is highly significant to keep in mind the privacy and sleep time of the other out of courtesy and decency. Since, my childhood I have been taught to knock before entering into any house, rooms, offices or personal spaces of others. Therefore, I have never failed to forget about it or break this norm intentionally ever as this would be much uncivilized act. I planned to walk into my roommate’s personal room unannounced and at 5 am in the morning. Since we had an unspoken rule about not entering into each other’s premises without the presence or permission of the other, therefore, it was completely baffling act for both of us.

In the morning time while he was asleep I walked into his bedroom and pretended to look for something he woke up and was hugely surprised to see me there. It was not the right time or the place to be in, he asked me what I was looking for and I made a lame excuse of looking for the TV remote. His face had mixed expressions of displeasure, embarrassment, surprise and disbelief. As 5 am in the morning was not the kind of time, one expects a roommate to enter without a knock and start checking personal belongings of the other.

For five whole minutes he tolerated my presence as I poked my nose into his drawer, cupboard and other things, but after a while he asked me in a stern manner that he never keeps TV remote in his room and asked me to leave. His tone was full of disdain and later on he started locking his room in his absence, avoided conversation with me, started writing small notes as to where our mutual things are kept and most noticeably hanged a note outside his room of “Do not Disturb” at night time. I felt like a nosy neighbour who likes to poke his nose in every matter of the other without embarrassment or shame.

At 5 am in the morning it was seriously difficult to enter into someone else’s room with or without a knock. I barged in his room which gave him creeps for a while, but later on his reaction was full of irritation and condemnation for me. Since I am not a frank person and take peculiar care of such matters of delicacy that is why I felt ashamed and barging into the privacy of other person made me uncomfortable too.