The Power Of Context Gladwell Analysis

Finding The True Self Throughout life people are always seeking something, whether it is finding out ideals, desires, lovers, and perhaps themselves. However, recognizing, fulfilling, and rising above one’s true self are the hardest things in the world because one always seems certain of him or herself and is strongly influenced by his or her surroundings. Hence, taking the time to practice experiences is a way for an individual to precisely know him or herself and actively participate in society. In the essay, “The Power of Context,” Malcolm Gladwell states that the features of one’s current social and physical environment will strongly influence his or her behaviors. Those actions that an individual conduct in response to the situation

Otherwise, the self-construction that one built in certain situations for him or herself will be a misjudgment of one’s true self, which will even bring negative effects in society. O’Brien and Gladwell illustrate this idea, and they both suggest that in a chaotic environment, individuals tend to be more ruthless because they have to vent their feelings, which does not reflect their true selves. O’Brien gives an example of Rat, who lost his comrade in the war. Rat’s reaction to that situation was to torture a baby buffalo as he “ shot it twice in the flanks. It wasn’t to kill; it was to hurt” (321). In the situation of losing the best comrade, Rat constructed himself as a killer who tortured a baby buffalo because he was afflicted with sad, despondent, and resentful feelings. The way he killed the buffalo was cruel just as the war killed his comrade. And thus Rat was the pseudo-self in this situation because his ruthless act led to the death of a living creature. To further explain this idea, Gladwell suggests that in a chaotic situation, one becomes ruthless to have a sense of control over that situation, and this kind of feeling