www.covenantuniversity.edu.

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Raising a new Generation of Leaders

GST 221
NORMS AND VALUES IN THE
NIGERIAN SOCIETY
Dr. Tomike I. Olawande
Department of Sociology
nn
Covenant University, Ota
Norms and Values in the Nigerian Society
Introduction
Every society has ways of
encouraging and enforcing what it
considers appropriate behaviour
and discouraging including
sanctioning what it regards as
improper behaviour.
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Introduction contd.
• If men were to conduct their
affairs in their natural state, there
would be anarchy and chaos in
the society.

3
Introduction contd.
• According to Thomas Hobbes in his
work “The Leviathan”(1651), there is
need for a system that guarantees
security of every member of society.
Hence the need for norms to guide
and regulate behaviour in society.
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Introduction contd.
• Prostration, Kneeling, Hugging and
Stooping, which are encapsulated in
the norm of greeting in the Nigerian
society, is one of the many norms that
direct conduct in the society.

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6
The Concept of Norm
• According to Haralambos and Holborn
(2008), a norm is a specific guide to
action, which defines acceptable and
appropriate behaviour in particular
situations.

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The Concept of Norm contd.
• Norms are culturally defined
standards by which people assess
what is desirable and good and which
also serve as broad guidelines for
social living (Macionis, 2001).

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The Concept of Norm contd.
• Norms vary in different societies. For
example, the indigenous dressing
patterns in most communities of the Niger
Delta, where men adorn what the
Yorubas will consider women dresses, is
illustrative of variations in norms across
societies.
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The Concept of Norm contd.

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Types of Norms
• Sociologists often classify norms in
terms of their relative importance
to society. This classification leads
to folkways and mores.

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Types of Norms contd.
• Folkways are norms for routine,
casual interaction. Examples include
greeting and eating pattern. Nobody
can be punished for not greeting or
for not eating properly.

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Types of Norms contd.
• According to Macionis (2001), mores
(pronounced morays) distinguish
between right and wrong, whereas
folkways help to draw the line
between right and rude.

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Types of Norms contd.
• William Graham Sumner (1906), a U.S.
Sociologist coined the term ‘mores’ to
refer to norms that are widely
observed and have great moral
significance.

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Types of Norms contd.
• When certain folkways become
well established and are believed
to be proper and indispensable,
they become mores.

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Types of Norms contd.
• Violation of mores is met with severe
sanctions. For example, the Nigerian
society has strong mores against rape,
murder and armed robbery. Anyone
caught contravening these norms is
severely punished.
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Other Classification of Norms
• This refers to whether they are codified or
not. That is if they are formal or informal.
• Formal norms are written down, and they
state in specific terms, conditions that
represent violations and the punishment
for such violators.

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Other Classification of Norms
• When norms become formalized, they
are seen as very precise in defining
proper and improper behaviour.
Examples of formal norms are laws,
decrees and edicts.

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Other Classification of Norms
• Informal norms are generally understood by
members of a society, but they are not
recorded. For example, appropriate dressing
pattern is not contained in any law book in
Nigeria. Invariably, the importance attached
to a particular norm determines whether a
society formalizes it or not.

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Other Classification of Norms
• Norms are also classified using the
approach they adopt or the direction
they follow in influencing social
interaction in society. Consequently,
norms can either be Proscriptive or
prescriptive.
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Other Classification of Norms
• Norms are proscriptive when they state
what we should not do. For example, the
dress code as contained in the Covenant
University Handbook, bars its full-time
undergraduate students from putting on
certain types of dresses including the use
of Mobile Phones.
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Other Classification of Norms
• On the other hand, when norms
are prescriptive, they state what
should be done. For example, the
Nigerian society expects us to be
our brothers keeper.

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Other Classification of Norms
• Another distinction that is made of
norms is that between Social
Norm and Statistical Norm (Otite
& Ogionwo, 2006).

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Other Classification of Norms
• A Social Norm is what people
think ought to happen (Ideal
Situation).
• A Statistical Norm is what usually
happens (Manifest Situation).
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 Relative Nature of Norms
• Societal norms are usually relative in nature.
For example, in Nigeria, the norm is that
marriage gives a man the exclusive right to
his wife’s sexual favours. Whereas the
Eskimo gives his wife to his guest overnight
as a mark of hospitality; an action
considered sacrilegious in some context.

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Relative Nature of Norms contd.
• Norms are enforced by sanctions which
can be positive or negative.
• When a sanction is positive, it comes in
terms of reward, which can be formal –
such as gifts, promotion or recognition. Or
informal such as in conferment of titles, or
group acceptance.
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Relative Nature of Norms contd.
• On the other hand, when a sanction is
negative, punishment is employed on the
violator. The punishment is formal when it
comes in form of fines or imprisonment
and informal when it involves ostracism,
social exclusion from group affairs or
stares of contempt (Schaefer, R.T., 2003).
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Functions of Norms
i. Norms serve as means of
identification for members of a
group. For example, prostrating to
greet an elder has suggested that
the individuals involved are either
Yorubas or have been acculturated
into the Yoruba way of greeting.
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Functions of Norms contd.
ii. Norms foster unity in a group.
Members sharing the same norms think
of themselves as different from others
and this engenders loyalty to the goal
of the group.

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Functions of Norms contd.
iii. Norms ensure social control in any
given society. They are put in place to
regulate the behavioural patterns of
members of a society.

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Functions of Norms contd.
iv. Norms allow for predictability of
behaviour in any given situation. For
example, it is expected that people will
be silent while teaching is going on in
class.

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Functions of Norms contd.
v. A norm also brings about stereotypical
beliefs about people outside its
operations; this in turn engenders
discrimination against those considered
outsiders. For example, the fact that the
Igbos do not prostrate to greet elders
does not mean lack of respect.
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The Concept of Values
• Values are culturally defined standards
by which people assess what is desirable
and good.
• They serve as broad guidelines for social
living. They are therefore representations
of people’s preferences including things
worth striving for.
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The Concept of Values contd.
• So values distinguish between what is
good, desirable and proper on one
hand, and what is bad, undesirable
and improper on the other hand.

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The Concept of Values contd.
• Values are abstract in nature, yet, they
provide a general outline for
behaviour. For example, ‘democracy’
is a value held by many nations,
which manifests in actions and
behaviour of people.
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The Concept of Values contd.
• Like norms, values vary from society to
society. For example, the value of
collectivism, which pervades interactions
in most African and East Asian societies, is
different from the value of individualism
that characterizes relationships in most
Western societies.
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 The Concept of Values contd.
• According to Macionis (2001), “cultural values
and beliefs do not only affect how we
perceive our surroundings, they also form
the core of our personalities. We learn from
families, friends, schools and religious
organizations to think and act according to
approved principles, to pursue worthy goals
and to believe a host of cultural truths”.
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 The Concept of Values contd.
• Values can serve to unite members of a
group; but are also capable of causing conflict.
For example, conflict over the ordination of a
gay pastor in church can be attributed to
differences in values of the parties involved.
Or reaction against the introduction of sharia
laws in some Northern states, is attributable
to value differences amongst people in
Nigeria.
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 The Concept of Values contd.
• There is indeed a strong relationship
between norms and values. For example,
a society that regards highly the value of
education may develop norms that ensure
compulsory education to a certain level
for its citizens. In the same light, if a
culture holds the sanctity of life as a value,
it will institute norms against murder.
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Some Values In Nigerian Society
• Despite the experiences of
Industrialization and its accompanying
effects such as urbanization, some
values are still very important to us in
Nigeria.

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 Some Values In Nigerian Society contd.
i. Reciprocity – involves a relationship
of interdependence, where people
engage in giving and taking of gifts,
goods, services, etc. Three forms of
reciprocity include:

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Forms of Reciprocity
• Generalized Reciprocity is characteristic of
exchanges between closely related people
such as father and son.
• Balance Reciprocity involves exchanges
between people who are more distantly
related.
• Negative reciprocity usually between people
who are not related; is an attempt to get
something for as little as possible.
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Some Values In Nigerian Society contd.
ii. Loyalty – which is often towards one’s
immediate group (ethnic or religious), than
to the larger Nigerian society. It is this
factor that has heightened intra and inter
ethnic and religious crises among people.

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Some Values In Nigerian Society contd.
iii. Obedience – as family values emphasize
obedience and respect for elders in the
Nigerian society. It is considered extremely
important to listen and to manifest
outward docility when dealing with elders
and traditional superiors.

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Some Values In Nigerian Society contd.
iv. Gratitude – In a reciprocal relationship
between two unequal parties, what is
expected of the weaker party is gratitude.
For example, most parents do not expect
exactly what was given to their children in
return. Rather, what they need is a sense of
gratitude. Hence, an ingrate is seen as being
in the same class as an armed robber.
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Some Values In Nigerian Society contd.

v. Communication style and language –

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Some Values In Nigerian Society contd.
vi. Dress and Appearance – In the Nigerian
society, dressing plays two roles: it is seen
as a sign of position, wealth and power. It
also functions to mark the responsible
away from the irresponsible. As you dress
so you will be addressed, clearly stresses
the value of dressing and importance
attached to it in Nigeria.
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 Some Values In Nigerian Society contd.
vii. Child bearing – Desire for children is the
main purpose of marriages in Nigerian society
(Otite & Ogionwo, 2006). Children serve as a
socio-psychological reality of man’s virility. It is
a means of gratification for parents and it is a
form of security for parents at old age. The
value attached to children explains the attitude
of people towards barrenness in Nigeria.
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