Understanding of Norms:

a developmental context

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Function of norms

coordinating actions, beliefs, feelings, expectations

Norms represent social facts – normative facts of what makes sense to do (= rational)

Norms provide (justified) reasons for action

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Normative action

a human disposition to act, believe and feel in ways that are guided by norms

a disposition to experience certain feelings when norms are violated (correlated in self and other)

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Domains of norms

Fundamental distinction between moral and social norms

Moral norms (morally permissible/good or blameworthy/wrong actions in view of principles of fairness/justice and solidarity)

Social/conventional norms (arbitrary norms e.g. eating-, dressing codes, traffic rules)

prudential norms (goal oriented instrumental action)

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Domain mixture

Social norms are arbitrary but:they can be moralized (e.g. religious norms, Shweder)

Morality can be the basis of some conventional norms (for ex. politeness)

(some) legal norms (e.g. contractual norms) are rooted in moral norms

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Cognitive basis of norm following

Capacity to accept norms as fundamental human (biological) adaptation

norms imply coordinated expectations about behavior moral prescriptive: what we (rightly) ought to expect from each other in specific situations (theory of mind, perspective coordination)

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Motivational basis of norm following Norms provide good/justified reasons for

action Internal motivation:

internalisation of norm = to have a motivational and emotional disposition to follow/not to violate the norm

moral self and identity, self respect External motivation

Obedience to authority, feelings of security and group belongingness, moral admiration

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Norm violation

norms require more or less strict orientation of individual actors

correspondingly, violation of norms is punished/sanctioned more or less strictly

external sanctions: sanction by law,

public opinion internal sanctions: conscience, shame/guilt

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Emotional dispositions in norm violation Disposition to certain feelings, evaluations and

actions which are coordinated/correlated in self and other

Emotions in violator: external: fear of punishment (physical – social

exclusion) internal: fear of shame/guilt

Emotions in victim/observer: anger, moral indignation, outrage, blame, resentment, disappointment

Reconciliation, compensation, apology, forgiveness

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Development of understanding of norms involves cognitive processes

Theory of mind, perspective differentiation and coordinationunderstanding feelings, motives, expectations

But: rationally understanding a norms and obligations does not necessarily imply following them.

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Development of moral sensitivity Cultivation of moral feelings Development of moral motivation

Development of moral self/identity

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Social experiences and development of a sense of fairness or justice

Developed (cultivated) under certain social and historical conditions

Experiencing just institutions (family, school, societal institutions, see Rawls)

If situations deviate from normative standards perceived as fair the sense of justice may be violated and situations evaluated as unfair. Contradictions emerge/conditions of change.