Malcolm Gladwell's The Power Of Context

The power of social interactions within a culture is often overlooked when determining what has control over an individual. How we perceive our immediate environment is dependent on the experiences we encounter. The effects of the environment on behavior are presented in a narrative written by author Malcolm Gladwell titled “The Power of Context.” Through Gladwell’s ideas, we see how the simple change of one’s surroundings will control what one experiences, which in turn alters how one behaves. Understanding how and why people behave in different cultures is a key focus in the narrative “The Mega-Marketing of Depression in Japan” written by author Ethan Watters. His narrative offers insight to the questionably immoral stratagems of a large

company altering a culture in order to market their drug. The big company in question, GlaxoSmithKline, uses sneaky tactics when marketing that utilize theories Gladwell presents in order to gain control over a culture. Not only does our immediate environment have a role in how our individuality is shaped, but how we interact with the people within our culture has a large effect as well. It is human nature for an individual to feel comfortable when following the crowd because their actions feel validated. Since it is natural for an individual to feel content within their environment, it is likely that they will behave how the majority of people in their immediate environment are behaving.
To argue that the individual is shaped through social and physical interaction within the environment implies that external factors, to a large extent, have control over behavior. Gladwell explores this claim through the Broken Windows Theory and how small details have an effect on the individual. Gladwell claims that “relatively minor problems like graffiti… are all equivalent of broken windows, invitations to more serious crimes” (Gladwell 152). Gladwell uses graffiti to symbolize all small details that provide a negative tone within the area. These small details are an “invitation” to crime, being that one who witnesses graffiti or a broken window will sense a lack of authority, using that as justification to commit further crimes. A small external factor is able to control how an individual reacts through this power of suggestion. Watters challenges this claim through the results of Junko Tanaka-Matsumi’s experiment. After the experiment Gladwell explains that “The Japanese in short, were looking outward to describe yuutso, and the Americans were looking inward to describe depression” (Watters 522). The Japanese way of life already incorporates external factors in how they behave and think, such as the weather and upcoming exams. However, American culture deals with internal factors, such as sadness or loneliness. In comparison, Gladwell’s theory strongly supports that external factors are what control behavior, which differs from the Americanized views. In this specific situation, by imposing the American culture of internal factors on the Japanese, it is likely that their efforts will not be successful. For GlaxoSmithKline to market successfully in Japan they would need to alter the external factors within the immediate environment of Japan, rather than imposing a new culture of internal experiences.
Along with immediate physical external details, social cues are also said to play a role in how an individual is shaped. This coincides with the claim that external factors are what drives change within one’s behavior. Gladwell supports this by explaining an individual’s tendency to follow the crowd. In his narrative he concludes that “once one or two or three people began cheating the system other people—who might never otherwise have considered evading the law—would join in…” (Gladwell 153). Gladwell makes a point to include that people who may have never committed a crime might be influenced to do so by the actions of other people in their immediate environment. Social cues play an important role in determining how an individual would act in a specific moment, even if they wouldn’t normally behave that way. In a situation where one is in a group, it is natural for the individual to follow the actions of the group as it is comforting to fit in. This theory directly explains why GlaxoSmithKline would set up “patient advocacy groups that were actually created by the drug companies themselves” (Watters 525). The company devised a fake situation where potential consumers would be in a group setting. Fake consumers planted by the company will agree to the drug within the advocacy group, causing actual potential consumers to unconsciously desire the drug as well. In this aspect of marketing, it can be predicted that GlaxoSmithKline will be successful by taking advantage of human nature’s desire to go along with the crowd.
Claiming that external factors, whether social or physical, are the sole cause of an individual’s behavior suggests that internal factors have no influence. Internal factors mainly deals with how past experiences would shape a person as they grow and encounter new experiences. Gladwell argues “that peer influence and community influence are more important than family influence in determining how children turn out” (Gladwell 162). This advances the argument that external factors have sole control over an individual’s behavior. A social cue, which is an external factor, holds more value than an internal cue from past family experiences. Watters directly challenges the idea that internal factors do not matter when he explains the history of how depression was introduced. Junko Kitanaka, a professor of psychiatry, explains that “Endogenous depression expressed itself only in individuals with that ticking alarm clock and wasn’t connected to external causes” (Watters 520). According to Kitanaka to develop depression one must have a predisposition to depression. He clearly states that depression “wasn’t connected to external causes” which entirely challenges Gladwell’s theory that external factors control an individual’s behavior. In order for GlaxoSmithKline to be successful, they must also think about the internal factors they are trying to trigger. Without control over which internal factors are triggered, GlaxoSmithKline would be unable to control the outcome of their advertisements.
Through analyzing Gladwell’s theory and the ideas about depression from the Japanese, it can be concluded that an individual can have an internal predisposition to a behavior, which can be triggered by an external factor.

Gladwell offers this external trigger as a “Tipping Point.” He argues that “For a crime to be committed, something extra, something additional, has to happen to tip a troubled person toward violence…” (Gladwell 161). An external factor, such as the tone of one’s immediate environment or the affect of social cues on an individual, is required to trigger a predisposed internal mechanism. In order for GlaxoSmithKline to be successful in advertising their drug, they will have to trigger pre-existing tendencies that would lead to the purchase of the drug. Watters showcases this when describing one of the ways GlaxoSmithKline marketed their drug. GlaxoSmithKline made it so “Depression was so broadly defined by the marketers that it clearly encompassed classic emotions and behaviors formerly attributed to the melancholic personality type” (Gladwell 525). GlaxoSmithKline is taking advantage of past internal factors. Japanese consumers are already predisposed to the melancholic personality type which they have likely experienced in their life because it was a common trait. GlaxoSmithKline was able to manipulate social external factors through advertising that would trigger this predisposition, overall convincing someone that they were depressed and should purchase the new drug. In this specific aspect of marketing GlaxoSmithKline will be successful by using new terminology and social cues to trigger pre-existing thoughts on

depression.
Ultimately, it is clear that both external factors, such as social interactions or community influence, and internal factors, such as past experiences and beliefs, play an important role in determining an individual’s behavior. By solely focusing on internal factors alone, GlaxoSmithKline would fail in influencing the way Japanese consumers think. Imposing Americanized views of internal beliefs, such as sadness or loneliness, may alter internal beliefs, but without the modification of external factors, there is nothing to trigger those new beliefs. However, GlaxoSmithKline’s use of social cues and the idea that an individual tends to follow the crowd is a successful approach. By setting up a fake advocacy group they will be able to make use of the fact that it is human nature to follow the crowd. Using social cues is a powerful way to trigger internal behaviors. In order for GlaxoSmithKline to be successful in shaping someone’s behavior, they have to keep the internal factors they are trying to trigger in mind. If they were to change external factors without thought of which predispositions they are trying to take advantage of, the results cannot be controlled. One successful way GlaxoSmithKline kept internal factors in mind was how they advertised depression. They linked it to the melancholic personality type to trigger what the Japanese previously believed about depression, but then manipulated it so they would perceive depression in a new way. Through intelligent use of both internal and external factors, it can be predicted that GlaxoSmithKline will be successful. However, this also means it can be predicted that not everyone will fall GlaxoSmithKline’s advertisements. Some individuals will not have the past internal experiences that would make them susceptible to the advertisements. Overall, a majority of GlaxoSmithKline’s marketing tactics took into account both common internal factors, and how to affect them with external factors, meaning they will be largely successful in the marketing of their drug.