Standards exist in all societies and cultures. They are patterns of behaviour that guide our conduct, a kind of explicit or implicit rules that help us understand how to act in different situations.

But there are many ways in which the rules are expressed. In this article we will know 9 types of standards according to three classification parameters : their type of indication, their degree of formality and their scope of application. We will know the characteristics of each type and what sanctions are involved in their non-respect.

What are the rules?

The rules are guidelines or rules of behaviour, which tell us how we should act and how not to act, according to which areas . That is, in a certain way they regulate what is licit and what is not, “what can be done and what cannot”. That is why they have an implicit ethical component.

They are a kind of agreement that we accept when we enter a specific area (for example, a school, a church, a club…). There are different types of rules according to the criteria or parameter we use to classify them.

Moreover, the rules evolve over time, they change; in different cultures, there are also different types of rules (more flexible, more rigid, more restricted…). In other words, culture, sometimes, and depending on the field, has an important weight in the elaboration of the different types of rules.

Functions

The most outstanding functions of the different types of rules are: on the one hand, they serve to ensure that there is some control in society; on the other hand, they regulate behaviour and tell us how to behave in certain contexts when we do not know very well how to act.

On the other hand, they make it possible to establish a “unit of measurement” to assess and evaluate people’s behavior. In addition, another of their functions is that help to satisfy the needs that we have within society , and can avoid important social conflicts.

Main types of standards

We can classify the different types of rules according to three different parameters that we will see.

1. According to their degree of formality

In this sense, the rules can be formal or informal:

1.1. Formal rules

Formal rules are usually presented in writing (or by means of a symbol, depending on the context). For example, a formal rule would be “no eating on the bus”, or “the employee must give at least 15 days’ notice of leaving work”.

These are rules that are agreed upon and formally communicated (with greater or lesser formality). Furthermore, this type of rule usually contemplates the negative consequence of not complying with the rule.

1. 2. Informal standards

On the contrary, informal rules are tacit rules ; that is to say, they do not need to be expressed or said explicitly, since they are rules that are understood or presupposed by the context. These types of rules are implicitly accepted by people.

For example, informal rules would be: “no yelling in church”, “no walking naked in the street”, or “no hitting in school”.

According to your type of indication

Depending on the type of indication or conduct to follow (or not to follow) that the rule establishes, we find two types of rules, which we will see below. That is, does the rule prohibit a behavior or an indication of a behavior to follow? Let’s see the difference.

2.1. Prescriptive standards

Prescriptive rules indicate behaviors to be followed. That is, they establish guidelines for appropriate or adequate behaviour . For example: “take a shower before entering the pool”, “keep quiet inside the library” or “close the door after leaving”.

2.2. Prohibitive rules

On the contrary, the proscriptive rules indicate behaviours to be avoided, behaviours that cannot be done; that is, are more like prohibitions . That is why they are generally less flexible.

For example, proscriptive rules could be: “no stepping on the grass”, “no smoking” or “no swimming on the beach with a red flag”.

3. According to its scope of application

According to the third classification parameter, its scope of application, we can find 5 types of standards:

3.1. Social standards

Social norms are obligatory “pacts” that we must follow when we are in society (in the street, in public places…), and that were agreed upon at the time in a rather spontaneous way. In other words, they are rules that initially arose in this way, thinking about respect among people.

Its function is to ensure a good coexistence among citizens . The fact of not complying with any of them generally implies a sanction for the citizen, but this sanction is of a social type, not legal (for example, social exclusion). An example would be not to step on the grass in parks, or not to litter public space; non-compliance is very likely to generate rejection by citizens.

Some social norms have served as a basis for the development of legal standards by the State. In other words, they have been derived from social norms. These types of norms are different in every culture.

3.2. Religious norms

Such rules have to do, as the name suggests, with a particular religious current or philosophy. That is, each religion sets its standards, and they refer to what a believer in that religion is expected to do or not do. They are very much related to morality and ethics , since they often refer to “good and evil”.

In the Christian religion, for example, it is a sin to break certain religious rules. On the other hand, non-compliance is related to a more spiritual sanction (for example: praying “X” number of Our Father prayers, or praying the Virgin Mary).

These sanctions will obviously vary from one religion to another , and from one culture to another. Moreover, the seriousness of the sin will also have an influence, with talk of “going to hell” in case of violating more serious religious rules. Religious norms can be found written in the Bible (in the case of the Christian tradition), in sacred texts or documents, etc.

3.3. Legal or statutory standards

Following the types of rules according to their scope of application, we find the legal or juridical rules. These are the “official” rules in each city or country ; their compliance is compulsory for all. They guide and govern how we citizens should behave (civil behaviour). They are rules that must be written down and reflected in some legal document.

These rules are established by the legal and judicial institutions that regulate society. Failure to comply with them carries with it certain types of sanctions. These sanctions may be administrative (fines) or criminal (jail, record, etc.). They are a type of regulation that allows to avoid major misfortunes within society (for example, serious negligence, murder…).

They have a lot to do with social norms, and with what is “right” and what is “wrong” within a society. That is why they indicate and define how to act and how not to act, and allow us to “control” the welfare and tranquility of citizens, businesses, companies, etc.

3.4. Moral standards

Morality refers to human behavior that is “right” and that is “wrong” . In a certain way, morality allows us to judge the behaviour of people in society. That is why moral norms have much to do with ethics, a more global discipline than morality, which values human behavior in society.

Ethics, moreover, attempts to understand and study the relationships between good and evil, human behavior and morality. Thus, moral norms relate to social covenants or conventions about what is ethical (right) and what is not. These are types of norms that have (or should have) special consideration for human rights , respect and dignity of persons.

Moral rules are often implicit rules, agreed upon and tacitly enforced, which are not written down anywhere. They mainly concern relationships with others, and are sometimes somewhat subjective (for example, moral rules might be: “don’t date my sister’s ex-partner,” or “don’t tell lies to people I love”).

His failure to comply is related to another sanction of a spiritual or conscientious nature , such as guilt or remorse. In other words, the sanction has more to do with oneself. Sometimes moral norms are related to religious norms, as we have already seen, since both share aspects of personal conscience and remorse.

3.5. Protocol rules

Also called “rules of etiquette” , these types of rules indicate how we should dress at a party, how we should behave and eat in a fancy restaurant, etc. In other words, they have more to do with elegance and good behavior in contexts with a high economic level, of great demand or where it is important to maintain a good reputation.

Thus, they are rules that are applied in certain social contexts (dinners, parties, weddings…), especially in scenarios with a lot of “cachet” or with people in high positions and responsibilities (for example royalty, politicians…).

They include, as we said before: the way of dressing, the way of eating (the cutlery to be used with each plate, for example), even the way of entering and greeting, etc.

Bibliographic references:

  • Elster, J. (2009). Social Norms and the Explanation of Behavior. The Oxford Handbook of Analytical Sociology: 195-217, edited by P. Hedström and P. Bearman. New York: Oxford University Press.
  • Oceja, L.V., & Jiménez, I. (2001). Toward a psychosocial typology of norms. Psychology Studies, 22: 227-242.
  • Treasury (2002). Institutions, Social Norms and Well-being.