Human beings are deeply social. Through the socialization mechanism, we assimilate norms, rules and conventions which regulate the social interactions. Indeed, we can observe civil behaviors in everyday life. Imagine this situation : You take a bus to go to school. You sit somewhere and see an older person looking for a seat. Without thinking, you stand up and propose your seat to this person. This situation is an example of civil behavior. This kind of behavior « refers to tacit rules governing the regulation of social interaction, shared conventions concerning what it is appropriate to do » (Moser,2011).
According to Gabriel Moser, politeness is an expression of civil behavior which is automatic, and do not require a deliberate decision. In 2001, the author conducted a study about politeness in urban environments. For this purpose, the researcher operationalized politeness by holding open a door for a person. The aim of the experiment was to determine if politeness could be actually observed, and if this civil behavior is dependent or independent from the target person (gender), environmental conditions (urban size) and situational conditions (door held open or close for the participant). The context of observation was the following : Researchers will watch individuals at the entrance of a large department store and observe if the participant holds the door or not for the next person behind him. Starting from this situation, the author used an observation matrix with four parameters under scrutiny :
– Individual variables with gender.
– Situational variables by two conditions, one with an open door and another with a close door for the participant.
– Participant behavior, if they hold the door open or not for the next person entering the store.
– Urban size : Nantes, a provincial city, and Paris, a big city.
This research records 880 observations, 480 in Paris and 400 in the provincial city of Nantes. On average, 54% participants held the door open for the next person. Concerning individual variables, this study reveal that men held the door open for the next person more often than women, nevertheless, polite behavior did not vary according to the following person gender. In other words, politeness is not dependent on the target person. Moreover, this experiment highlight an urban size effect. Indeed, polite behavior occurs more frequently in the provincial city than in Paris (Nantes, 60% ; Paris,50%). Finally, this study claims that in a large city, politeness vary significantly under situational conditions : In Paris, finding a closed door decrease polite behavior frequency. By contrast, the latter finding did not demonstrate in the provincial city.
In brief, civility is affect by environmental conditions and situationnal conditions. Furthermore, this study shows that Parisians engage less spontaneous polite behaviors than provincial city population. In Paris, finding an open door improve civil behaviors. According to the author, this latter phenomena can be explain by behavioral contagion, a kind of social influence. Concretely, holding a door open for the next person is a great model of civility behavior which make people likely to copy this behavior, referring to social desirability. By the way, confrontation with a polite model activate implicit social norms such as politeness.
To conclude, civil behaviors like politeness are not part of everyday life in large cities, unlike provincial cities. Nevertheless, it would be interesting to replicate this study in others countries to see if civil behaviors vary according to different cultures. In any case, if we want to change the situation highlighted by this study, maybe the best solution is to practice civil behaviors oneself. In this way, civil behaviors should be spread gradually : « Be the change that you want to see in the world » like Mahatma Gandhi said.
Bibliography :
Moser, G (2011). « Civility in Urban Environments : Is Politness Outdated ? » in Laurence Massé et al (eds), Anglais pour Psychologues (pp. 25-30). Paris : Dunod.
I’m Annaël Joubert, 23, from Vendée but live in Nantes since I start my studies.
After my graduation i would like to work in a consulting office, specialized in human ressources or organisation. Moreover, i want to travel.
I love music, not especialy one kind but a lot.