Proscriptive Norms
The Basic Idea
As a child, how many times did your parents tell you not to do something? “No pulling my hair!”, “You can’t touch the cookie jar!”, “Don’t put your fingers so close to that socket!” But being a kid, you probably still tried to sneak a cookie when no one else was around.
As adults, we are still governed by these rules, though we typically adhere to them a little more. Think of the laws that tell us not to litter or blast music after 10 p.m. Religious moral codes are also based on this form of rule, such as the ten commandments: Thou shall not murder and thou shall not steal.1 Whether it be the ten commandments or local bylaws, most of us follow these rules.
These “dont’s” that society has established are called proscriptive norms. They ask us to avoid or abstain from bad behaviours, usually to avoid negative consequences.2 Proscriptive norms can best be explained when contrasted with prescriptive norms. Prescriptive norms are the “dos”: the good behaviours that society expects from us due to their positive impact.2
Proscriptive norms are often harsher and have drastic consequences when not followed.2 Stealing, for instance, has greater ramifications than giving money to someone in need. Consequently, proscriptive norms are mandatory, while prescriptive norms are more flexible.2
Social inclusion is absolutely central to human morality, commonly cast in terms of how we should or should not behave in order to be valued members of society.
– Frans de Waal, Primatologist and author of Good Natured: The Origins of Right and Wrong in Humans and Other Animals.
