ABSTRACT
Much of people’s everyday behaviour is predictable to a degree of detail that cannot be attributed to their biological or psychological attributes. Such regularity is the consequence of what many sociologists would describe as the existence of normative order: a set of institutionalised guidelines about appropriate conduct which are generally held to be binding within particular social circles or contexts. This is a way of explaining processes entailed by human interdependence, the necessity in complex and impersonal societies for coordinating personal interactions. Institutionalised norms regulate and steer personal conduct into acceptable, comprehensible and effective activities.
