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Social Observation: Social Norms At The Cherry Creek Mall

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People watching is a common pastime in our society, and let’s face it, it is instinctive. Being a keen observer of those around you can give you insight into different behaviors, which can be invaluable in your day to day life. For my social observation assignment, I decided to observe the social norms at the Cherry Creek mall. I was able to view all different types of people from children to elderly adults as they acted and reacted to established and accepted behaviors of society. Children are great subjects to observe because they do the things that adults avoid in public. By the teenage years they’ve already begun to formulate their own rigid social rituals, and adults get more and more straight-jacketed in their public behavior, for the …show more content…

On the top level of the mall, a far-eastern woman in a short black outfit walked past, she had a slender and elegant look about her that placed her firmly in the realms of deadly female assassin or mid-level marketing executive in a real-estate company. I tried not to turn around and look, lest I be marked for murder or worse yet, sold real-estate. A short, chubby, ginger-haired woman in a large red t-shirt walked passed, and later saw her again as she was leaving the Apple store. Looking up at the glass railing of the higher level, I spotted the silhouette of the far-eastern woman from before. She was still shuttling between unknown targets on the same level, walking gracefully down the sparsely populated corridors in her relaxed stroll.
How people interact within the different relationships and dynamics on display in a public place makes for fascinating viewing. I observed two families that were passing each other a few feet in front of me. A Russian woman, with husband and daughter in tow, stopped and turned around as she noticed the other couple speaking Russian. She called out to get their attention, and they continued to talk for a while, possibly asking directions or advice on something touristy from the sound of

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