The word "society" in translation from Latin means "society". This means that social norms are certain rules, principles, generally accepted standards that govern the behavior of people in society. To paraphrase a once popular verse, we can conclude that social norms indicate "what is good and what is bad." What are their benefits?
All people are different. Each person has advantages and disadvantages, habits and prejudices, peculiarities of character inherent only to him, temperament, views, tastes, etc. It is not for nothing that folk wisdom says: "There is no comrade for taste and color." What will happen if everyone begins to behave exclusively of their own free will, the way they want, as it seems to be correct and beneficial? It is not difficult to understand: complete chaos will immediately reign in society, selfishness, brute force, the "law of the jungle" will triumph. That is why, in order to prevent anarchy and lawlessness, in order to introduce public life into some more or less acceptable framework, there are social norms obligatory for everyone. You can compare them with traffic lights that regulate the movement of vehicles and pedestrians. Of course, even in the most developed and just society, someone will still be dissatisfied, considering these norms either too strict, constraining the freedom and initiative of the individual, or, on the contrary, too liberal and condescending. But it is impossible to please absolutely everyone. This has never happened before, and is unlikely to happen in the future. Of course, social norms should not be seen as something given once and for all, unchanging, frozen. Times change, and society changes with them. What was considered absolutely unthinkable until quite recently, now no longer outrages or shocks anyone. And, accordingly, social norms are changing, adapting to new rules and views. Of course, this does not happen immediately, but gradually, when the need for change becomes obvious to most members of society. The implementation of social norms requires control. It can be either self-control - when a person observes norms not out of fear of public condemnation or even punishment, but simply because of his upbringing, because his conscience orders so, or public control - especially if society is very strict about the observance of customs and traditions The highest form of social norms is laws. And, accordingly, if violation of customs and traditions can only entail moral condemnation (although in some cases it is very strong), then violation of the laws is fraught with criminal liability. And the stronger this violation, the more severe its consequences, the more severe the punishment will be.
