The Power Of Context Malcolm Gladwell Analysis

The evolution of humans is one that allows, and even thrives on constant adaptations. By becoming reactors to the environment humans have been able to survive and eventually thrive. However, these powerful abilities would also bring about some not so obvious implications. In Malcolm Gladwell’s “The Power of Context”, as well as Oliver Sacks’ “The Mind’s Eye” both authors explore the impact of this evolutionary trait. When taken together Gladwell, and Sacks’ essays help to teach that our brains are highly adaptive. Also they both show that reactions are largely out of the individuals control and that reaction influenced by the environment is what prevails. To demonstration how adaptive the brain actually is both authors show that the brain adapts

to what it is surrounded with. The things that have the largest impact on people, are the things all around them. Furthermore, both authors argue that people’s brains adapt or change to what they want. Brains can adapt to what an individual wants by being conditioned to do a certain thing, or even act a certain way.

Together Gladwell and Sacks can show how adaptive our brains are by showing how it adapts to the environment as well as how it adapts to certain tasks that it is asked to perform.

The human brain’s highly adaptive nature can be seen most clearly when it responds to different aspects of the environment. In his essay Gladwell argues that the “power of context” is what actually has the most influence on people when it comes to behavior; not family background, experiences, or even psychological predisposition. Gladwell claims that, “The essence of the power of context is that the same thing is true for certain kinds of environments—that in ways we don’t necessarily appreciate, our inner states are a result of our outer circumstances.” (Gladwell, 160). Gladwell goes on to show his belief in this idea by explaining how the New York City crime problem was solved by simply changing the environment of the city. Gladwell even takes it a step further when he says “Character is more like a bundle of habits and tendencies and interests, loosely bound together and dependent, at certain times on the circumstance and context.”

(Gladwell, 163). Here Gladwell explains that not only is the environment responsible for peoples actions, but it even effects something as personal as someone’s personality. Similarly, Oliver Sacks, agrees with this line of thinking. John Hull a man that became blind later in life has a unique experience with his blindness. While explaining John Hull’s story Sacks writes, “What Hull described seemed to me an astounding example of how an individual deprived of one form of perception could totally reshape himself to a new center, a new identity,” (Sacks, 305) . After becoming completely blind Hull had to change the way he experienced the world. Hull’s environment went from being a one that was filled with color and shapes, to one that could never witness these luxuries again. This drastic change in the environment resulted in Hull becoming a “whole-body seer”. With his now lost sight and drastic change of environment Hull’s brain had to reinvent itself. Trying to make up for the lost sense, Hulls brain desperately tries to compensate by enhancing the other four senses. After accepting the situation he was dealt, Sacks writes that “His teaching at the university expands, becomes intellectually and spiritually bolder, more confident.”(Sacks, 305). Not only did Hull overcome his blindness, but he believes it to be enlightening. This transformation speaks to how adaptive the brain can be. Allowing someone the opportunity to still live happily with such a devastating injury. However, adapting to the environment is not the only situations where the brain becomes highly adaptive.
What makes the human brain truly adaptive is its ability to be conditioned for particular things. The idea that peoples brains adapt to how they use them can be found in Sacks’ essay. While recounting the experience of another person that was blinded, Torey, Sacks writes “he had been extremely successful, developing a remarkable power of generating, holding, and manipulating images in his mind.”(Sacks, 306) Torey was told that he should learn to accept a more auditory way of experiencing the world. However, reluctant to give up his powers of visual imagery, Torey decided to develop this part of his brain the most. By constantly using his brain for the purpose of visualizing images, his brain began to adapt and eventually accept it. Torey’s constant practice and development of this trait eventually paid off. Sacks goes on to explain that Torey trained his brain “So much so that he had been able to construct an imagined visual world that seemed almost as real and intense to him as the perpetual one he had lost” (Sacks, 306) . Torey’s brain had adapted to accommodate the visual expectations that had been put upon it. Similarly, in Gladwell’s essay he uses the same ability of the brain to account for many of the things he witnesses. One of which was the experiment that included normal people becoming guards and prisoners. One of the participants, a prisoner, later commented on the experiment saying, “I began to feel like I was losing my identity…the person that volunteered to get me into this prison was distant from me, was remote, until finally I wasn’t that person, I was 416.”(Gladwell, 161). The brain of the “prisoner” was told to act like a prisoner would, and that’s exactly what happened. The brain adapted in such a way that it convinced normal people that they were actual prisoners. Similarly it convinced the moral, and ethical people that they “prison guards” and that they had the right, and even obligation to humiliate the prisoners. The brain being able to adapt allows people to become more versatile creatures. It ensures that no matter the circumstance we always have a say in what our brains are capable of. Both authors demonstrate the brains amazing adaptability by showing how well it can adapt to the actions that are asked of it, as well as the conditioning people try to impose upon it.
Even though the human brain is programmed to adapt to the environment as well as conditioning, ultimately it is the environment that has the definitive effect on the reactions of humans. After going through a tough experience, the brain will actively try to make the situation seem better even though in reality it is not. In Sack’s essay this is clear when he describes the lives of the people after they have fallen victim to vision loss. While explaining what John Hull went through Sacks writes, “He had seemed to regard this loss of visual imagery as a prerequisite for the full development, the heightening, of his other senses.” (Sacks, 304) Here the brain reacts to the loss of vision by improving the other senses. The brain does this without being prompted to, which is an indication that your reaction is not 100 percent controlled by you as you might have thought. The effect of individual choice on reactions also factor into blind people’s ability to cope with their situation. “In a profoundly religious way…Hull enters into this state, surrenders himself, with sort of acquiescence and joy.”(Sacks, 304). Here the brain tries to accommodate the loss of sight by making the person believe that the loss actually allowed them to experience even more worth wild than seeing. The brain is essentially adapting to make living easier. By believing that you are better off, you actually become better off. Similarly, in Gladwell’s essay he claims that our response to challenges lies in the environment. And most people cannot meaningfully control the environment we live in. While explaining why he killed three teenagers in the subway Goetz says, “If you corner a rat and you are about to butcher it, okay? The way I responded was viciously and savagely, just like that, like a rat.” (Gladwell, 165). Here Gladwell uses this description to explain that when trapped in an environment that encourages certain responses, you will respond in that way. Reaction to an event is largely dependent on the environment or context, which most of the time people have very little control over.
The environment has a profound impact on the way people act and think.

The consequences of this revelation can have a tremendous impact how we view and understand different issues. Possibly helping to solve things such as the “inner city kid”, or the “ghetto’s”. Understanding where the problem is first is the only way to effectively solve the problems that plague humankind. Thanks to the insights of Gladwell and Sacks it becomes very easy to spot where the problem actually lies. The human brain is highly adaptive. It adapts to what the environment presents, and the context in which one is living in first. The immediate surroundings of someone has a huge impact on not only how they act but also can have lasting impacts on their personality. This trait can be used to help the human race survive and thrive as a species. However, there are always ways to exploit this trait. Not only can it be used to discriminate against others it can also be used to bully others. However, the human brain is not limited to only this form of adaptation. It can also adapt by being told or conditioned to perform a certain way. This brings back some of the power and control to you. It also assures and promotes diversity within a community. And further helps to explain why everyone in the some environment does not act the same. Finally, reactions to challenges as well as difficulties life are not in peoples control, rather the environment people put themselves in is what is in control. The brain is

programmed to react a certain way based on what’s acceptable in that environment. And theoretically someone with the right information and knowledge could effectively predict the outcome. It is a particularly unsettling fact that people are not in as much control as once thought. Humans often times pride themselves on how much power and control their able to command. However, this may all be a lie. And all that everyone has is really the illusion of control.