As part of my folkway violation experiment, I deliberately engaged in a conversation with someone while keeping a distance of only six inches from them. The person I chose for this violation was my mom, as she has always been bothered by others invading her personal space, which is one of her small pet peeves. This made it the perfect norm to test out. To ensure complete unawareness, I conveniently approached my mom at home.
Before the conversation, I began preparing by mentally arranging my thoughts. To make it seem effortless, I opted to begin by inquiring about her workday, as is my usual approach. With this strategy set, all that remained was anticipating her arrival after work the following day. As I was preparing to depart for class, she came in through the backdoor with several grocery bags. I helped her carry them upstairs.
While conversing, I asked about her work day which she described as challenging due to tardy colleagues. Despite her bad mood, I persisted in engaging with her. Eventually, she seemed puzzled and began moving away uneasily. Her amusing expression caused me to burst into laughter. Later on, I explained that it was an experiment for my sociology class. At that point, she also found the situation funny.
After sharing a laugh, my mom asked why I chose her, and I replied that I believed she would provide the most genuine reaction. The outcome surpassed my expectations. Without a doubt, my mom was the ideal candidate for this breach of social norms. Initially, I worried that she would start screaming as I approached her. Thankfully, she remained composed and found the entire experiment amusing.
