Maria Diwane
Assignment Two
6 April 2015

It is interesting to think that in one family, each member is exposed to a different set of norms. Norms are time specific, which means that they can change over time between generations. Concepts that are normal to a teenager can be completely abnormal to an adult. Normality is also determined by your culture and religion, which is subject to changes over time. Statistical norms are a set of norms that the majority of the people follow in order to be considered “normal”. Evolutionary norms are a set of norms that have been pre-determined by evolution. All of these examples of norms have an impact on normality and the way that people live. From my interview, I learned that my subject from an older generation has a completely different outlook on life, which taught me to never take anything for granted, or quickly judge what is normal in this society. My subject, Grace, age 65, had a tough upbringing in life. She is an Italian American woman who was raised Catholic, but no longer follows that religion. She did not receive a high school diploma. Currently, she does not have a job and has two children. She was born in Newark, where her mother worked in a factory and her father did construction. Grace is the oldest of six sisters and lost her mother to cancer when she was fifteen. As a child, she enjoyed playing hopscotch. Her children enjoyed riding bikes and hanging with friends, and her grandchildren enjoyed playing video games. The types of clothing she use to wear were plaid, tweed, and acrylic skirts and dresses. She used to tease her hair, and claims that another hairstyle back then was a pixie cut. She loved the “oldies, but goodies” as well as Elvis and Rock ‘n’ Roll. She loved to watch game shows and Lassie. Looking back on it now, she wished that she were able to experience all the outdoor activities like hang gliding, speedboats, etc., but was unable due to money and transportation. As a teenager, she did not use any technology whatsoever, and still does not use any. Growing up, she had a feeling that she was abnormal because she worried a lot, panicked often, and was overall anxious. Grace met her first husband in high school under complicated circumstances. She was abused at home mentally and physically, so she ran off with her boyfriend and got pregnant at seventeen. She only knew him for two years prior to the pregnancy. When they moved to another apartment in Newark, she lived with her husband and her first-born. Eventually, she filed for divorce after he came back from Vietnam because he was not treating her right. She then moved in with her next boyfriend with her two kids. Her daughters were born in 1969 and 1971, and she currently has three grandchildren. She believes that her children are stricter than she was as a parent, by keep more tabs on their children with technology. She also believes that her grandchildren are more privileged than she ever was, and have a completely different outlook on life. Grace is fully aware that the set of norms that she followed as a child are completely different than the norms today. Since her mother died while she was young, she had to become independent quicker. She could not depend on her family for everything, which is different than today. On the other hand, the fact that she got pregnant young was not abnormal during that time. She believes that contraception and birth control is a positive change, but the social life and partying is a negative change. She is happy with the time period she grew up in. Grace believes that society has changed for the better because there is more money and opportunities, but has changed for the worse because those aspects has lead people to become more violent. While growing up, things that were normal to Grace are considered abnormal to me. For example, when she lost her mother she became the mother or her five younger sisters, as well as the mother of her own. Her father was never