societal taboos
Unspoken social boundaries
Societal taboos are behaviors, topics, or practices that a culture forbids or strongly discourages, often without explicit laws—the prohibition enforced through shame, disgust, or social exclusion rather than legal penalty.
Incest, cannibalism, and desecrating the dead are near-universal taboos; others vary by culture: Discussing salary is a societal taboo in many workplaces.
Taboos mark the boundaries of acceptable conduct within a group.
- moral panicIrrational collective fear wave
- moral outrageAnger at wrongdoing
- stigmaMark of dishonor
- public shamingCommunal reputational punishment
- blasphemyIrreverence toward the sacred
gender roles · tradition · heresy · cultural relativism · trauma · dirty secret · open secret · hush hush · dogma · forbidden fruit · transgression · ostracism · ethnocentrism · caste system · shame · sacrilege · guilt · purity
societal taboossocial norms
Shared behavioral expectations
social conventions · cultural traditions · cultural institutions · social rituals · social expectations
societal taboossocial conformity
Adopting group norms
social norms · orthodoxy · propriety · standard practice · conventional wisdom
societal taboosmoral imperatives
Actions ethics require unconditionally
sacred duties · civic duties · moral obligations · cardinal virtues · sacraments