Conventions are arbitrary practices that coordinate choices where several options are equally viable

Evidence

What makes us so attached to the arbitrary practices of our community in times when other choices are available? The answer is conventions—well-known, regular, accepted social behaviors that individuals follow and expect others to follow. To illuminate the relationship between status and culture, we must become experts in conventions. They are the “molecules” in the chemistry of culture—the individual units of collective behavior that make up the cultural whole. The Beatles’ moptop is a convention, as are black tie, dog shows, and reading Kerouac’s On the Road as an angsty teenager. Arbitrariness is key to conventions. Humans don’t need conventions to breathe, nor do desert dwellers need conventions to draw water from the only functioning well. Conventions assist humans in coordinating around certain choices. Wherever we see people repeating a particular practice and rejecting its equally plausible alternative, there is likely a convention compelling everyone into making the same choice. — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 119

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines ‘convention’ as the molecule-unit of culture — a workable definitional frame.
• XREF: connects to: Culture is composed of discrete units called conventions — W. David Marx, Status and Culture: How Our Desire for…, 142; Arbitrary conventions lock in once enough participants adopt them — Jörg Sydow, Georg Schreyögg, and Jochen Koch, Organizational Path Dependence: Opening…, 79; Arbitrary early choices can rigidify into standards that defeat better alternatives — Georg Schreyögg and Jörg Sydow, The Hidden Dynamics of Path Dependence:…, 912 (+8 more)

Broader Connections

• Arbitrary conventions lock in once enough participants adopt them #expands (0.88) — Jörg Sydow, Georg Schreyögg, and Jochen Koch, Organizational Path Dependence, 79
• Arbitrary early choices can rigidify into standards that defeat better alternatives #expands (0.85) — Georg Schreyögg and Jörg Sydow, The Hidden Dynamics of Path Dependence, 912
• Judicial discretion means choosing among alternatives thought equally permissible rather than reasoned elaboration #exemplifies (0.85) — Henry M. Hart, Jr. and Albert M. Sacks, The Legal Process, 373
• Forgotten origins make arbitrary conventions feel like nature’s order #expands (0.82) — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 131
• Forgotten origins make internalized conventions seem natural rather than historical #expands (0.82) — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 131
• Alternative institutional arrangements can substitute for one another to produce the same outcome #qualifies (0.80) — Gary Goertz, Social Science Concepts, 1657
• Ritual forms are arbitrary so long as some ritual exists #exemplifies (0.78) — Diego Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia The Business of…, 399
• Individual customs interlock into broader macro-conventions called paradigms #expands (0.78) — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 138
• Older conventions get chosen because they lower social risk #qualifies (0.75) — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 646
• Legal rules intentionally incorporate arbitrary detail to maximize certainty and predictability. #qualifies (0.75) — HLA Hart, The Concept of Law (Clarendon Law…, 534