For communities outraged by what happened, the norms say that this type of behavior is unacceptable. This does not mean that there will not be violence, but often it means lower rates of violence or that it will take on different forms. The concept of social norms determines the definition of the violence. In countries that have experienced conflicts and crises, societies are forced to change in order to cope with the situation. In these circumstances, the norms that define social behavior usually also begin to change.
Social norms give insight into how people can deal with violence.
It becomes evident that violence is not necessarily random and beyond the control of the people. As people define societies and societies define violence, it is the population that actually determines how violence is defined and accepted. As a result, the normalization of violence that takes place within societies that have experienced prolonged traumas does not have to be permanent. Just as societies and communities create space for violent behavior, they can also create new norms that say violence is unacceptable. Changing cultural norms is not an easy task, especially when dealing with intense psychological traumas.