Great Expectations

Everyone expects something from you.  It's unavoidable, sometimes annoying, and arguably part of what keeps us 'civilized.'  If not for the expectations placed upon us by society chaos might be the rule rather than the exception.  Then again, who knows; you never know until you try.  However, I would theorize that after a time of general chaos immediately following the destruction of society, things would calm down and a new society would be formed.  Because people love (and love to hate) rules.
I digress...
Society's expectations.
They differ depending upon where you're located excepting some key points, i.e. the expectation to avoid committing murder is pretty much universal.

American society's expectations seem to be evolving (or devolving depending on how you look at things).
Since oral contraceptives became publicly available in the sixties, things have gone downhill in regards to what American society expects of women.  As a woman, it's rather baffling the amount of times I've been practically expected to reward my date with sex.  In such a sexually charged atmosphere (via adverts and general media propaganda) it's easy to see why someone would have a hard time accepting the answer "no" in response to the expectation of sex.  A good number of men (not all of them, I've met a large amount of decent men as well) expect to have their way.  Because contraceptives are so widely available now, men tend to assume that a woman is on 'the pill' and the question, "aren't you on the pill?" is followed by, "then what's the problem?" if answered "yes."
To top this off women are expected to 'kowtow' to men.  We're taught (again, through media) that a woman is to take care of things, including men.  Saying "no" to something generally falls outside of the nurturing category, and almost always produces an incredulous look from whomever you've just refused.
Ah, the number of friendships I've lost because I was not interested in sleeping/starting a relationship with said 'friend.'
On the other end of the spectrum, women are expected to be quiet, proper, shy things who love housework, children, shopping and cooking.  These are the expectations that have been around for ages - if I'm remembering my social history correctly - and I would argue the better of the two sets described here.  While sexual freedom is nice in theory (what fun! right?) it tends to lead to unhappiness and a myriad of other problems for women because sex is more emotional than physical for us.  You can mess yourself up pretty good just by sleeping around.

Society's expectations for men are equally silly; you must be a 'manly man' who likes sports, working on cars, shows no emotion, and provides for your family.  The latter on this list is not silly, evolutionarily speaking, this is the way it has been - and is - for almost all of the creatures on this planet (with a few interesting exceptions).  The feminist movement might attempt to convince you otherwise but, generally speaking, men are the stronger, more aggressive counterpart to women.  They are built to provide.

It is also expected of everyone to just take what your physician tells you to heart without researching anything yourself.  In a country that ranks 27th in math, 22nd in science internationally (found here), seems to lack readily available (from the government/FDA) information on real foods/good nutrition, and pushes prescription drugs on the consumer at an alarming rate, why should I not be informed about my own body and the side effects of drugs?
After Kaiser putting me on and off steroids for a year or so, when my old nurse practitioner (I'm currently searching for a new one in light of all the experiences I've had at this office) told me I'd need steroids for a supposed slipped disc in my lower back, I went home and found out it was a placebo treatment that hadn't been proven to help slipped discs.  Needless to say, she (and the other doctor I saw recently there) was upset that I hadn't filled the prescription.  Not only that, but the doctor I saw most recently regarded me suspiciously when I asked about alternate means of treatment (over-the-counter vs. prescription strength) and was adamant that I take a test that was completely unnecessary given my circumstances.  Stories like this are common (I read about a woman being given antibiotics to treat a vaginal infection that didn't exist because the OB-GYN wasn't informed about cervical fluid) and frustrating to read about.

I digress again..