In-depth research and conversational analyses on the topic of gossip only commenced a few decades ago, and studies pertaining to this subject in terms of gender began much later. In this short period of time, however, this field of studies has gained much acrimonious attention, with many heated debates surrounding the claim that women gossip more than men (Rysman, 1977). Through a focused exploration of the subject of gossip, followed by an evaluation of the phenomenon when gender is taken into consideration, this essay aims to expound and provide clarification to this controversial gender-related claim. Several definitions have risen for ‘gossip’ based on the existing literature. While the definition of “idle chatter” or “the evil tongue” (Schein, 1994) has been given previously, nowadays, gossip is defined as “information about the behavior and personal lives of other people” particularly about one who is not present in the conversation (Eder & Enke, 1991). This information exchange is found to take place mainly in informal conversations (Noon & Delbridge, 1993; Kurland & Pelled, 2000). The definition can also take a more functional perspective, deeming it as a tool for socializing and gaining a sense of belonging or acceptance in a community or network circle. This happens also because gossip initiates discussion and draws in and consolidates the opinion of members of the circle, thus encouraging a more agreeable and friendly relationship among them (Eckert, 1993). Through the years, gossip has developed a negative connotation among society, in spite of the fact that academic definitions gave no encouragement to regard the phenomenon as spiteful or unpleasant. Yet, it is regularly denounced as inappropriate and immoral (Levin... ... middle of paper ... ...& Pelled, L.H. (2000). Passing the Word: Toward a Model of Gossip and Power in the Workplace. The Academy of Management Review, 25 (2), 428-438. Levin, J. & Arluke, A. (1987). Gossip: The Inside Scoop. New York: Plenum. Lipscomb, S. (2011). Crossing Boundaries: Women’s Gossip, Insults and Violence in Sixteenth-Century France. French History, 25 (4), 408-426. Millet, K. (1971). Prostitution: A Quartet for Female Voices. In V. Gornick & B.K. Moran (Eds.), Woman in Sexist Society. Basic Books, New York. Noon, M. & Delbridge, R. (1993). News from Behind my Hand: Gossip in Organizations. Organization Studies, 14, 23-36. Rysman, A. (1977). How the “Gossip” Became a Woman. Journal of Communication, 26, 176- 180. Schein, S. (1994). Used and Abused: Gossip in Medieval Society. In R.F. Goodman & A. Ben- Ze’ev (Eds.), Good Gossip, 139-153. Lawrence: University of Kansas Press.
Works Cited: http://members.ll.net/ken/hunter3.html Ozment, Steven. The Burgermeister's Daughter: Scandal in a Sixteenth –Century German Town. New York: Harper Perennial, 1996. Print.
Facing Corrections in the Workplace: The Influence of Perceived Face Threat on the Consequences of Managerial Reproaches. Journal of Applied Communication Research, Vol.28(3), pp.289-320. Goffman, E. (1967) Interaction Ritual: Essays on Face-to-Face Behavior. New York: Anchor Books.
Within an organization one of the key tools that they use is that of: communication. Communication is a primary key to any organization and without it there is no cohesion, no leadership, and no functionality. As communication begins to diminish, so does the organization – as one article puts it: “These new economic…. imperatives have significantly contributed to the demise of the old classic command-and-control bureaucracy…” (Tiernan et al, 2002, 47-48). From what this article states, the lack of communication has led to a semi-collapse of the mechanistic structure of an organization. Though communication does seem like a huge factor of an organization, communication does not come without its troubles within the inter-organizations; if there is communication going on in a company, there is going to also be a lack of communication. When a company has employed thousands of people (or maybe just a small amount) they are hiring a whole selection of individuals to work as whole group in unity – though this does seem like an amazing idea, these sets of individuals will have quite ...
...cas, Jeffrey W., and Michael J. Lovaglia. "Leadership Status, gender, group size and emotion in face-to-face groups." Sociological Perspectives. v41 i3 p617, Fall 1998.
to gossip, he can’t judge them on it because it is the crowd he wishes
Gossip has been known to hurt relationships, damage reputations, and cause other social harms. But can it have any social benefits? In the article “Studies Find That Gossip Isn’t Just Loose Talk”, Alina Tugend argues that certain gossip can have important social functions. She notes that certain gossip can provide people with information about people who might mistreat us. Tugend adds that people have overwhelming urge to gossip about people who they feel have wronged them. However, Tugend notes that some people feel that gossip has no social benefit. Thesis: I found it interesting when the article discusses how certain gossip can make people in a group follow rules and it can protect us from people.
Turman, P. (October 25, 2000f). Group Cohesiveness and Conflict: Group Communication [Lecture] Cedar Falls, IA. University of Northern Iowa, Communication Studies Department.
Tannen, Deborah. “His Politeness Is Her Powerlessness.” You Just Don’t Understand: women and men in conversation. New York: HarperCollins, 1990. 203-5. Print.
Barry, Kathleen. The Prostitution of Sexuality: The Global Exploitation of Women. New York: New York University Press, 1996. Print.
It will be simple to uncover the secrets of my bosses. Frank Devlin’s affair will be one that few turn a blind eye. Word will spread wildfire, over cubicles as smoke plumes throughout the offices, infesting water-cooler talk, and late night work parties.
The description he gave of his work environment did not illustrate a team; instead it painted a picture of cliques with a lot of gossiping
A widely accepted myth that we all might hear everyday or might even think we experience is women do all the talking. In different languages around the world, there are many different sayings that say women talk too much. Myth 6, “Women Talk Too Much”, by Janet Holmes addresses the question if women are the ones who take up all the talking time or is this just a myth? I will address the main ideas and my reaction about Myth 6.
Lorber, J. (1994). Night to His Day: The Social Construction of Gender. Paradoxes of Gender (pp. 54-67). New Haven: Yale University Press.
...adership Practices in Relation to Productivity and Morale." In D. Cartwright and A. Zander, Group Dynamics: Research and Theory, 2nd ed. (Elmsford, NY: Row, Paterson, 1960)
Irvine, Robert B, “Workplace Violence, What To Do When Tragedy Strikes“, Public Relations TACTICS, Dec. 1995.