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:''For other uses, see More.''
'Mores' (IPA ) are norms or customs. Mores derive from the established practices of a society rather than its written laws. They encompass the shared understandings, both conscious and unconscious, which enable individuals to navigate the social world. The term ''mores'' as used in sociology is a plural noun. The Latin singular, which is not used in English, is ''mos''--in English, the word has no singular, making it ''plurale tantum''. The English word morality comes from the same root, as does the noun ''moral'', which can mean the 'core meaning of a story'. However, mores, does not, as is commonly supposed necessarily carry connotations of morality. Rather, morality can be seen as a relatively small subset of mores, held to be of central importance in view of their content, and often formalized in some kind of moral code, e.g. commandments. Taboos, for example, forbid a society's most outrageous behaviours, such as incest and murder.
The question of how members of a society are socialised, is thus equivalent to the question of how they come to internalise its mores. Most sociologists reject the thesis that formal instruction matters as much as the informal social responses of disgust and the ostracism of offenders. However, constant exposure to social mores is thought by some to lead to development of an individual moral core, which is pre-rational and consists of a set of inhibitions that cannot be easily characterized except as potential inhibitions against taking opportunities that the family or society does not consider desirable. These in turn cannot be easily separated from individual opinions or fears of getting caught.
Tocqueville claimed that democracy in America influenced mores properly, from a European perspective; mores became milder as conditions equalized.
Examples of mores are the differences between a man and woman walking down the street topless. While the man might receive mild disapproval a woman would receive harsh sanctions for the same act. Another example might be someone picking his or her nose in the Western world; which, although harmless, is widely considered as disgusting to the general populace and goes against the norm. It should be noted, however, that a breach of mores need not always entail disapproval or sanction. The socially expected reply to "Thank you" is "You're welcome", but saying "I love your eyes" instead, whilst breaking a linguistic convention, would in many cases be unexpectedly welcome.
★ Folkways (sociology)
★ Enculturation
★ Political and Moral Sociology: see Luc Boltanski and French Pragmatism
'Mores' (IPA ) are norms or customs. Mores derive from the established practices of a society rather than its written laws. They encompass the shared understandings, both conscious and unconscious, which enable individuals to navigate the social world. The term ''mores'' as used in sociology is a plural noun. The Latin singular, which is not used in English, is ''mos''--in English, the word has no singular, making it ''plurale tantum''. The English word morality comes from the same root, as does the noun ''moral'', which can mean the 'core meaning of a story'. However, mores, does not, as is commonly supposed necessarily carry connotations of morality. Rather, morality can be seen as a relatively small subset of mores, held to be of central importance in view of their content, and often formalized in some kind of moral code, e.g. commandments. Taboos, for example, forbid a society's most outrageous behaviours, such as incest and murder.
The question of how members of a society are socialised, is thus equivalent to the question of how they come to internalise its mores. Most sociologists reject the thesis that formal instruction matters as much as the informal social responses of disgust and the ostracism of offenders. However, constant exposure to social mores is thought by some to lead to development of an individual moral core, which is pre-rational and consists of a set of inhibitions that cannot be easily characterized except as potential inhibitions against taking opportunities that the family or society does not consider desirable. These in turn cannot be easily separated from individual opinions or fears of getting caught.
Tocqueville claimed that democracy in America influenced mores properly, from a European perspective; mores became milder as conditions equalized.
Examples of mores are the differences between a man and woman walking down the street topless. While the man might receive mild disapproval a woman would receive harsh sanctions for the same act. Another example might be someone picking his or her nose in the Western world; which, although harmless, is widely considered as disgusting to the general populace and goes against the norm. It should be noted, however, that a breach of mores need not always entail disapproval or sanction. The socially expected reply to "Thank you" is "You're welcome", but saying "I love your eyes" instead, whilst breaking a linguistic convention, would in many cases be unexpectedly welcome.
| Contents |
| See also |
See also
★ Folkways (sociology)
★ Enculturation
★ Political and Moral Sociology: see Luc Boltanski and French Pragmatism
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