Topic > The unwritten rules of behavior of eating a meal in a dining room

Everyone behaves differently at home than they would in public. When I'm in the comfort of my home, I always eat on the floor. To be clear, I don't eat food off the floor, I just like to sit, cross-legged, usually with a fuzzy blanket and in front of the television with my plate of food on my lap, on a pillow or in a chair in front of me. I've been doing this since I was little and it's just more convenient for me, however, I've been trained to learn that people shouldn't eat off the floor in public places. But, if I walk into the Upper Debot here at UW-Stevens Point, there is no sign anywhere that says you must sit at a table to eat your food. This is a social norm not reinforced by laws or rules (in most cases), but by socialization. I chose this for my breach experiment since I live on campus and can access the dining halls and be able to easily observe many people's reactions in a short period of time. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Before completing my experiment, I wanted to create some sort of plan and make predictions about how people might react. I went to the dining room with my girlfriend so I could have an extra pair of eyes to make observations. To ensure my safety, I sat in an area that was not along the main walkway. I also didn't put the plate of food on the floor, I just held it in my hand while I ate. I figured I'd get a few funny looks from my peers, but I predicted that I wouldn't actually get any comments. In my experience, if I see someone behaving in a way that isn't considered "normal" or traditional, I usually don't question them directly and try to mind my own business to avoid being perceived as rude. look at some people. People seemed to be looking at the furniture around me to see if there was anything wrong with it, which explained why I didn't use it. After seeing nothing and being confused, everyone continued and left without asking any further questions, as I had expected. An employee, however, intervened and asked me if I would prefer a chair, to which I replied, "Thanks, but I'm fine." He looked confused too, but let it be. I think it's very interesting that the only person who made a comment was an employee, which shows how people can act differently when in different roles. A fellow student who is there to eat and have fun could probably care less whether or not someone is sitting on the floor. But an employee has more responsibility and demonstrates a certain level of authority, allowing him or her to feel more comfortable making a comment like this. Overall, I would say I was exposed to mild negative sanctions, in the form of disapproving looks or comments, for breaking this norm. Other sanctions I could have faced would have been where I would have been told to use the furniture or even to leave. However, I don't think my behavior could be classified as "taboo" as it wasn't incredibly shocking or violated social laws, it was just plain weird. Another aspect I considered when reflecting on my experiment was Cooley's aspect - the glass self, which refers to the idea that we define and characterize ourselves based on how others see us and react to us ( Henslin, 2017). After receiving these negative sanctions from my peers, I began to recognize some unpleasant feelings and thoughts, such as: “Everyone..