 Dear students, in this module we are going to talk about the social norms and its types which are folk ways, mores and taboos. Norms are the guidelines or written or unwritten rules that govern the behavior within the culture. Norms basically are the guidelines or ways on which values can be achieved. So values are the standards in your society, how can they be achieved, and the guidelines that the society provides for them are called norms. Norms are generally classified in three different types in relation to their intensity. Which one are considered folk ways? These are informal norms that govern our everyday behavior. Folk ways are unwritten, informal, they have relative flexibility, they can be breakable, but when we deviate from them, the society also has a negative attitude but they don't impose them as hard as the rest of the norms impose on them. For example, if you are in a house and you don't greet, and you directly go and meet them, then this is considered a wrong gesture. That is, you have violated a folk way or unwritten rule. On this, your gesture will be seen as that you have committed a deviance, but you may not be punished for it. When we talk about mores, these are stronger norms that are considered essential to the values and beliefs of our culture. Mores are made to protect your highly important values. For example, to protect the human life, it is the mores that we cannot kill anyone. If you kill someone in the society, then the law comes into action and you can be punished according to the law. Because the society reacts a little harshly and behaves. Mores produce formal or written rules for you, which we also call laws. Then we have the taboos. Taboos are the forbidden behavior that are considered extremely wrong or unacceptable within our culture. Taboos are the values of the society in which the society doesn't even think about talking. For example, marrying your siblings is considered taboo and a highly negative value in which the society deals harshly. Whether it is written rules or not, the society reacts harshly against its taboos. So, what is the importance of norms in the culture? Norms provide structure and stability in the society. If the rules are not formal, then the individual members don't know how they should behave. So, the proper guidelines for the behavior reflect the norms. So, norms help to define and reinforce the cultural values and belief system. And they can change over time as cultural values and beliefs also evolve. As we see, the traditional norms have changed due to the arrival of social media. The communication has changed. The living patterns have changed. So, the new values and innovations introduced in the society are also changing. In Pakistan, if we look at the examples, the importance of hospitality is considered the norms. And more is the respect for the elders. Whereas the taboo is dishonesty, disrespectful behavior. And particularly having intimate relationship with your close relatives is considered a taboo.