Theory 71: Social Norms Theory

Number of Constructs: 10
Number of Triples: 12

Theory triples

• Misperceptions negatively influences Healthy behaviour
• Misperceptions influences Corrected misperceptions
• Corrected misperceptions positively influences Healthy behaviour
• Injuctive norms type of Perceived norms
• Injuctive norms type of Actual norms
• Descriptive norms type of Perceived norms
• Descriptive norms type of Actual norms
• Actual norms influences (*) Misperceptions
• Perceived norms influences (*) Misperceptions
• Pluralistic ignorance type of Misperceptions
• False consensus type of Misperceptions
• False uniqueness type of Misperceptions

Theory constructs and annotations

• Misperceptions The discrepancy between perceived norms and actual norms [ BCIO:050707 (Misperception of descriptive behavioural norm) 71 ]
• Healthy behaviour [ BCIO:036000 (Individual human behaviour) 71 70 8 5 14 62 63 64 78 81 65 77 13 55 74 79 24 18 53 54 57 69 ]
• Corrected misperceptions
• Injuctive norms Socially determined consensual standards that describe one's attitudes, beliefs and morals in relation to a given situation (i.e. what most people think is 'right' to do) [ BCIO:006095 (Group behavioural norm) 71 13 14 ]
• Perceived norms Perceptions of what most other people within a social group believe and do [ BCIO:006039 (Perceived norm) 71 18 66 77 12 80 10 78 ]
• Actual norms The real attitudes held and behaviours exhibited by the majority of other people within a social group [ BCIO:006095 (Normative behaviour) 71 , BCIO:050671 (group evaluative behavioural norm) 71 13 14 69 42 78 62 9 22 64 ]
• Descriptive norms Socially determined consensual standards relating to the prevalence of the behaviour (i.e. perceptions of what most people actually do) [ BCIO:006095 (Behavioural norm) 71 13 14 ]
• Pluralistic ignorance The state of affairs in which the majority of members of a group believe that the majority of their peers think or act differently to themselves (i.e. the majority falsely believe themselves to be in the minority) [ BCIO:050847 (Belief in false minority) 71 ]
• False consensus The tendency to incorrectly assume that one's behaviours and thoughts are more widely shared by the majority of other members of the group than is actually the case [ BCIO:050870 (Overestimated perceived descriptive norm) 71 ]
• False uniqueness The tendency to incorrectly believe that one's thoughts or behaviours are more unique than those of one's peers [ BCIO:050885 (Underestimated perceived descriptive norm) 71 ]

Theory illustration

Theory References

• Perkins, H.W. & Berkowitz, A.D. (1986). Perceiving the Community Norms of Alcohol Use Among Students: Some Research Implications for Campus Alcohol Education Programming. International Journal of the Addictions, 21, 961-976.
• Berkowitz, A. D. (2004). Th e Social Norms Approach: Theory, Research, and Annotated Bibliography. Higher Education Centre for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention [On-line]. Available at: http://www.edc.org/hec