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Deviancy Aversion and Social Norms.

Anton Gollwitzer1,2, Cameron Martel3, Anna Heinecke4

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This summary is machine-generated.

People's aversion to distorted patterns, or deviancy aversion, strengthens social norms. This psychological tendency influences norm following, judgments, and adherence to societal rules.

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Area of Science:

  • Social Psychology
  • Behavioral Science
  • Sociology

Background:

  • Social norms are crucial for societal functioning.
  • The psychological underpinnings of norm adherence are not fully understood.
  • Deviancy aversion, a general discomfort with pattern distortion, is a potential factor.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of deviancy aversion in the strength and prevalence of social norms.
  • To determine if deviancy aversion predicts norm-violating affect, norm-following behavior, and norm valuation.
  • To examine the generalizability of deviancy aversion's effects across different types of norms and tasks.

Main Methods:

  • Five studies involving 2,390 participants were conducted.
  • Correlational analyses examined the relationship between deviancy aversion and norm-related variables.
  • Experimental manipulation of deviancy aversion was used to assess causal effects.

Main Results:

  • Deviancy aversion positively predicted negative affect toward norm violations, self-reported norm following, and norm valuation.
  • Deviancy aversion generalized to conformity in estimation tasks, adherence to physical distancing, and fairness norm following.
  • Experimentally increasing deviancy aversion enhanced negative affect and norm behavior, but not belief-based norm judgments.

Conclusions:

  • Deviancy aversion is a significant predictor of social norm adherence.
  • A sensitivity to pattern distortion may serve as a low-level affective mechanism supporting social norms.
  • Further research is needed to fully understand the cognitive and affective processes linking deviancy aversion to norm judgments.