MU Breaching Experiment Questions

This activity will be most difficult for some of you because it requires you to break a social norm. We call this a breaching experiment in sociology, a term coined by ethnomethodologist Harold Garfinkel. What we aim to do here is to violate a taken-for-granted social expectation and to observe reactions – as a means of understanding that social norm more keenly. So, for instance, how do people react when they see you toss a recyclable product onto the street? Or when you eat a nice steak with your fingers? Or when you ask an old lady or disabled person on the bus to give up their seat for you? How do people show their surprise, dissatisfaction or anger when a simple norm is violated? How are these reactions a form of either formal or informal social control? How do you feel when you violate one of these expectations?

The reason this activity will be difficult is because you will be embarrassed publicly. Understanding why we feel embarrassed, and how, as a society, we regulate each other’s behavior – without even realizing it – is the purpose of this experiment.

IMPORTANT NOTE: FORGET EVERYTHING YOU’VE SEEN IN THE SHOW, “JACKASS.” DO NOT BREAK THE LAW! As funny as these examples might be, the intent here is not to act like a fool in front of others, or to offend someone for the purpose of offending them. Rather, we are trying to expose the most subtle, unwritten rules that govern social behavior among humans. Most of these rules seem quite benign, not very important or interesting, but you will discover in this experiment that these ubiquitous social guidelines are the very heart of what keeps a society from total anarchy and that people will unknowingly enforce these invisible rules through a variety of overt and covert, verbal and non-verbal tactics. Your goal, then, is to observe the ways in which these invisible rules are upheld in society and, in turn, to better understand the power of norms in society. 

Here is what you must do:

1. Decide on what you are going to do publicly. Here are some examples to help you. Keep in mind that the most interesting experiments tend to be the most subtle. Don’t feel obligated to run across campus naked, that’s been done to death and people will simply assume you are pledging for a fraternity. Be creative by thinking of the more mundane, but more powerful rules that dictate what we can and cannot do in public. Remember, we are breaking social folkways (like picking your nose in public) or mores (like falling asleep in church), not laws. I do not have bail money to get you out of jail. Seriously.
2. Choose your public setting carefully – a time and place where people gather and are watching each other, whether that be at the dinner table or public square. Bring something to take notes with, immediately after you’ve completed this assignment. Don’t wait until later to reflect, your memory will fail to recall some of the more subtle reactions, and I want to hear you discuss this activity, including your own personal level of embarrassment right after you do this. A postponed reflection will not capture your feelings as well, so don’t use an embarrassing moment from last year or the day before you read this assignment – you have to do this with these things in mind or it will not be a true learning experiment.
3. Actually do it! Many of you will undoubtedly try to fake this assignment, for fear of embarrassment. You will try to rationalize your faking of this assignment by telling yourself that, although it sounds interesting, you don’t have the time, energy, or strength of character to actually do it. Please understand that denying yourself the opportunity to truly experience the power of norms, and to intellectually reflect on that actual experience is denying yourself a chance to grow as a person. It is also lame of you! Don’t be one of those lame students who skips this assignment (or fakes it). Trust me, the exhilaration of doing this assignment lasts beyond the moment of embarrassment – it is a life lesson that you will take with you, one of the most important things you can learn about yourself and the social world around you. Put yourself out of your comfort zone and enjoy the experience of engaging your social world rather than just reflecting on it online in the safety of your room. This is what true learning is all about, people, and I’m begging you not to cheat yourself of this learning moment!
4. Write it up. Using the space provided here, explain in one paragraph what transpired, being specific by describing the scene in some detail, as well as what you actually did. Next, write a second paragraph discussing your observations. How did people react in order to maintain a sense of normalcy? How did they NOT react for this same purpose of establishing normalcy? Did you discover that you broke norms you did not intend to violate, that you didn’t even think of when planning this? Finally, how did you feel and, more specifically, what do these (probably intense) feelings say about the norm you investigated? Do you have a new understanding of these ubiquitous and powerful norms? Explain.
5. Let’s talk about your breaching experiment! What did you do and how did people respond? Make sure to reflect upon what lessons we have learned about the role that social norms play in our everyday lives.