What is the Difference Between Mores and Norms?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚Mores and norms are both social constructs that guide human behavior, but they differ in terms of their nature, morality, and consequences when violated. Here are the key differences between mores and norms:
- Definition: Norms can be understood as a usual or standard practice, while mores can be understood as customs and conventions of a society that are deeply ingrained and often considered a matter of right or wrong.
- Morality and Codes of Conduct: Mores are directly governed by morality or the sense of right and wrong in a society, while norms apply to general codes of conduct for individuals in society, influenced by traditions, customs, and laws.
- Connection to Culture: Both norms and mores are culture-specific, and they can vary from one society to another or even within the same culture.
- Connection to Law: Mores are strictly confined to morality, and sometimes a violation of a more can also be against the law. Norms sometimes can have a legal background, but they are not always related to morality.
Examples of norms include maintaining eye contact during conversations in the United States or wearing a suit to a job interview. Examples of mores include not cheating on a spouse or not lying to a friend. Breaking mores is considered socially unacceptable and may result in the individual being ostracized from the group, while violating norms may lead to disapproval but does not necessarily have the same severe consequences.
Comparative Table: Mores vs Norms
Here is a table that highlights the differences between mores and norms:
| Feature | Mores | Norms |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Mores are the deeply held beliefs, customs, and values that determine how members of a society should behave in a certain manner. | Norms are the rules, principles, and standards that prescribe how a person should behave to remain consistent with societal expectations. |
| Nature | Mores are more stable and deeply ingrained in a culture. | Norms can vary from society to society and can change over time. |
| Guidelines | General Guidelines | Specific Guidelines |
| Compliance | Mores should be complied with as they are considered important principles. | Norms should be followed, but they may not be viewed as strict requirements. |
| Influence on Behavior | Values are the principles that individuals believe and which drive their actions. | Norms are the rules that society recognizes and that influence behavior and actions. |
| Examples | Values like fairness, altruism, and trust are considered fundamental moral norms. | Social norms like "do not chew gum at the table" or "behave fairly" are examples of norms. |
Please note that the terms "mores" and "norms" are often used interchangeably, but they have distinct meanings as shown in the table above.
- Folkways vs Mores
- Mores vs Laws
- Rules vs Norms
- Norms vs Values
- Ethics vs Morals
- Values vs Morals
- Metaethics vs Normative Ethics
- Ethics vs Morality
- Law vs Morality
- Ethical vs Moral
- Cultural Relativism vs Moral Relativism
- Manners vs Behavior
- Moral vs Immoral
- Motivation vs Morale
- Culture vs Tradition
- Etiquette vs Manners
- Ritual vs Tradition
- Good Habits vs Good Manners
- Theme vs Moral