Malcolm Gladwell Sociology

Malcolm Gladwell, a Canadian journalist, wrote books based on the disciplines of psychology and sociology. Many of his books have appeared on the New York Times bestsellers list including Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Blinking and Outliers: The Story of Success. Gladwell was born in England and moved to Canada with his parents, one parent a mathematics professor and the other a psychotherapist. This indicates that Gladwell was interested in and excelled in his mother’s field: psychology. Gladwell was born in a mixed family, his dad having a British ethnic background and his mom with a Jamaican ethnic background. He eventually graduated from Trinity College in Toronto with a degree in history. Once he recognized his grades did not suffice

for a graduate school, he started writing for newspapers. He has written for Insight on the News, the Washington Post, and the New Yorker. Malcolm has made a huge impact on psychology and sociology with his books and was awarded the “American Sociological Association's first Award for Excellence in the Reporting of Social Issues” according to the website FamousAuthors.org.
Gladwell studies social trends in the disciplines of psychology and sociology in his books.

In his book The Tipping Point, he states that large-scale trends are prompted by small, precise actions that builds momentum over time, making things like products increase and spread in popularity. This is what is called the “tipping point,” a domino effect that persuades people that a specific product, thought, or behavior is good or acceptable. Gladwell mentions three major factors that propels a product to its “tipping point.” The first factor is the “Law of the Few,” which include people who are able to influence others: spreading awareness or promoting a product by using it themselves or through other forms of propaganda. Three types of people who are able to influence other people include the mavens, the connectors, and the salesmen. The mavens are considered as the consumer experts, and other consumers trust his or her opinion on products. Connectors are individuals with a large social sphere, like celebrities. They are able to make connections very quickly and spread the word around to many people at once. The salesmen are the smart and persuasive people who sell the products, using their manipulative power and enthusiasm to capture people and lure them into buying their product. The second factor is the “Stickiness Factor,” which explains what makes the message or product so valuable or significant and describes why people become attached. The “Stickiness Factor” is

greatly dependent on a region’s culture and its values. The last major factor is the local environment in which it is placed. The environment can affect people’s behavior and their interests to certain products or messages.
Gladwell studies the three main factors that lead people to become influenced by a product, message, or even behavior.

This type of psychology relates to different types of psychologies including industrial-organizational psychology, human factors psychology, social psychology, and community psychology. He combines these different branches of psychology to make a hypothesis of the three most effective ways to influence and propel that idea or merchandise to reach its “tipping

point.”
The Law of the Few factor relates to a term in social psychology called the peripheral route persuasion. In peripheral route persuasion, people respond to incidental cues where celebrities or well-respected people promote a product or message in a positive manner. An example is Selena Gomez promoting Pantene hair products, often appearing in commercials for the brand. Gomez’s fans who admire her and look to her for advice will be persuaded that Pantene has some valuable products because Gomez is using it herself.
The “Stickiness Factor” is especially reliant on culture, or the “enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next” according to David Myers in his Second Edition of Psychology for AP. Traditions and values are what give the product or message significance, meaning, and value. For example, crosses are more likely to sell in countries like the United States and Brazil rather than China or Japan because of their culture and the high percentage of people who identify themselves as Christians. Countries like China and Japan have a one to four percent of Christian people in their country, indicating that crosses will not be sold at the same rate as countries with large populations of Christians. When companies review their product or their message, they have to remember negative connotations as well as stereotypes that can affect what the product signifies for people. This can be used for or against what they are selling. For example, Childish Gambino, also known as Donald Glover, released a music video called “This Is America.” He includes aspects such as America’s history, police brutality, and arms control to create a video that would become valuable to society since it brings awareness to issues. Many of these topics are controversial, representing a good “Stickiness Factor” since it attracts people with similar views as well as people of opposing views. Glover used the culture and history of America to create a video that would inspire and hold a significant amount of value to citizens of the country.
Depending on the environment, people can be persuaded to agree with a message, buy a product, or act a certain way. For example, if there is vandalism displayed in the streets of New York, there will be a higher chance of it happening again. Once the vandalism is repainted over or washed off, vandalism rates will decrease because of the lack of exposure to it. The normative social influence, or the following of implicit rules and expected behavior to conform, is a highly influential factor. Depending on the environment, people could dress differently, talk differently, and act differently. A man in America may feel as though he needs to be more masculine according to the gender roles in his country. This may motivate him to buy a musky cologne or join a gym. The man was influenced by his environment and the expectations placed on him in the country. Group polarization is the tendency for people with similar opinions to end up having a stronger opinion after discussing the subject with others who agree. People who talk about a product or message in a positive light with others who hold the same view will strengthen and reinforce their opinion. According to Myers in his description of the mere exposure effect, it is “repeated exposure to novel stimuli that increases our liking for them” (798). If products are continuously shown in our environment, from advertisements to photos in a newspaper, we are more likely to buy them. If a cute painting set is continuously promoted on television and billboards with the same great reviews, then a person may start to like the paint set because of the repeated exposure to the product and its great reviews.
This book was absolutely thrilling, explaining the ways people can be
manipulated and exploited, and how products and messages are spread throughout a population. This topic is especially of importance to me because I am planning on majoring in business with a minor in psychology or sociology. This also explains the connections between teenagers and smoking. Celebrities such as Adele or Kristen Stewart smoke cigarettes, influencing their fans and people who follow suit them, representing the “Law of the Few.” Once some people start using cigarettes, other people may follow because of social expectations and peer pressure to be cool, also known as the environment. Lastly, the “Stickiness Factor” of smoking is that it is chemically addictive, making teenagers and their underdeveloped frontal lobe to make the wrong decision and continue to suppress that addiction they have by continuing to smoke. I find it really interesting how these three factors are able to be applied to many situations and other large scale trends we have today.