Modeling social norms: an integration of the norm-utility approach with beliefs dynamics

We review theoretical approaches for modelling the origin, persistence andchange of social norms. The most comprehensive models describe the coevo-lution of behaviours, personal, descriptive and injunctive norms whileconsidering influences of various authorities and accounting for cognitiveprocesses and between-individual differences. Models show that socialnorms can improve individual and group well-being. Under some con-ditions though, deleterious norms can persist in the population throughconformity, preference falsification and pluralistic ignorance. Polarizationin behaviour and beliefs can be maintained, even when societal advantagesof particular behaviours or belief systems over alternatives are clear.Attempts to change social norms can backfire through cognitive processesincluding cognitive dissonance and psychological reactance. Under someconditions social norms can change rapidly via tipping point dynamics.Norms can be highly susceptible to manipulation, and network structureinfluences their propagation. Future models should incorporate networkstructure more thoroughly, explicitly study online norms, consider culturalvariations and be applied to real-world processes. This article is part of the theme issue "Social norm change: drivers and consequences".

Modeling social norms: an integration of the norm-utility approach with beliefs dynamics Articles