Social norms, as a topic of inquiry, has garnered significant attention from a variety of perspectives in recent years. Because of the rapidly-growing interest in social norms from scholars in multiple disciplines, this area of scholarship is often characterized by a lack of clarity on what constitutes social norms and how key concepts are operationalized. The objectives of this article are to (a) provide a review of the fast-expanding literature on social norms, (b) delineate similarities and differences in key operational definitions, (c) review theories that explicate how norms affect behaviors, (d) propose a revised theoretical framework that helps organize our understanding of normative inf luence on behavior, and (e) provide suggestions for future research in this area. This review highlights the need to consider whether a behavior is enacted spontaneously or after deliberation. If the former, whichever attitude or norm is most salient will likely have a direct effect on behavior. If the latter, we propose that behavioral, individual, and contextual attributes will influence the extent to which norms shape behavioral intentions and subsequent behavior. Finally, this review highlights the need for more studies designed to test the causal relationship between social norms and behaviors, as well as those that study norms from a qualitative perspective.

Individuals often avoid discussing sexual history and safer sex with sexual partners, increasing the likelihood of negative health consequences. Research and theorizing on narrative influence suggest that television programs in which characters model conversations about safer sex may provide social scripts to viewers and influence behavior. This experiment tested this effect and examined the underlying mechanisms. Participants were randomly assigned to view a program that either did or did not depict characters modeling sexual discussion. Exposure to the modeled behavior motivated viewers to engage in sexual discussions over the next 2 weeks. Greater identification with these characters facilitated this effect by enhancing viewers' self-efficacy and reducing counterarguing. Implications for research on narrative influence more generally are discussed.

We examine how viewers' narrative involvement is impacted by a character's membership in a highly stigmatized group. In particular, we explore how perspective‐taking with a character, a dimension of the identification construct (J. Cohen, 2001), influences in‐group/out‐group perception. Participants viewed 1 of 2 edited versions of the film Sherrybaby, where the main character was manipulated to be relatively more stigmatized (recovering drug addict) or less stigmatized (single mother). As predicted, participants differed with respect to perspective‐taking—the highly stigmatized character corresponded to less perspective‐taking. Furthermore, the mediation and moderation results lend support to the argument that perspective‐taking increases perceptions of in‐group belonging and is of particular importance in determining whether a narrative influences in‐group/out‐group perspectives.

Entertainment‐education interventions frequently include an explicit persuasive appeal, such as an epilogue, at their conclusion. This may help to overcome potential limitations of narrative persuasion by highlighting and clarifying the underlying message. Despite this potential, an explicit persuasive appeal may also undermine the subtle approach that distinguishes narrative persuasion and thereby induce reactance and/or counterarguing. The purpose of this study was to experimentally test these two possible outcomes. In particular, the effect of an explicit persuasive appeal in the context of a dramatic television program about the dangers of drinking and driving was examined. Overall, results revealed that the narrative and explicit persuasive appeal interact to influence drinking‐and‐driving attitudes. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

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