Definition of Formal Norm
(noun) Norms that are established by an authority and that are punishable when broken.
Example of Formal Norm
Formal Norm Pronunciation
Syllabification: for·mal norm
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /fOR-muhl nORm/
- British English – /fAWm-uhl nAWm/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /ˈfɔrməl nɔrm/
- British English – /ˈfɔːməl nɔːm/
Usage Notes
- Plural: formal norms
- The terms “formal norm” and “formal social norm” are used interchangeably in a sociological context.
Related Quotation
- “Laws are the most common type of formal norms; they have been codified and may be enforced by sanction” (Kendall 2006:55–56).
Additional Information
Related Terms
Reference
Kendall, Diana. 2006. Sociology in Our Times: The Essentials. 5th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Works Consulted
Griffiths, Heather, Nathan Keirns, Eric Strayer, Susan Cody-Rydzewski, Gail Scaramuzzo, Tommy Sadler, Sally Vyain, Jeff Bry, Faye Jones. 2016. Introduction to Sociology 2e. Houston, TX: OpenStax.
Merriam-Webster. (N.d.) Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/).
Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).
Princeton University. 2010. WordNet. (https://wordnet.princeton.edu/).
Random House Webster’s College Dictionary. 1997. New York: Random House.
Schaefer, Richard. 2013. Sociology: A Brief Introduction. 10th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Scott, John, and Gordon Marshall. 2005. A Dictionary of Sociology. New York: Oxford University Press.
Turner, Bryan S., ed. 2006. The Cambridge Dictionary of Sociology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wiktionary, The Free Dictionary. Wikimedia Foundation. (http://en.wiktionary.org).
Cite the Definition of Formal Norm
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “formal norm.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved November 28, 2023 (https://sociologydictionary.org/formal-norm/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
formal norm. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/formal-norm/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “formal norm.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed November 28, 2023. https://sociologydictionary.org/formal-norm/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“formal norm.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 28 Nov. 2023. <https://sociologydictionary.org/formal-norm/>.