Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to reconsider social annoyance as a discrepancy in normative focus in line with norm-focus theory (Cialdini, Reno, & Kallgren, 1990). We conducted two experiments to examine the hypothesis that a discrepancy in normative focus between the actor and the observer would make the behavior seem less annoying than when there is consistency between them. Results showed that participants who focused on the same norm as the actors evaluated the action as less annoying than those who focused on a different norm. However, the focal norms did not influence the emergence of behavior that was considered social annoyance. Therefore, the hypothesis was partially supported. A discussion on the emergence of social annoyance in terms of norm-focus theory was conducted.
