Chapter 4: Power of Context

1. Chapter 4: Power of Context Edward Nava Carla Castro Jacky Bello

2. What is the Power of Context?

3. What is the Power of Context? The Power of Context refers to Gladwell’s theory that where and when something happens will determine whether it “tips” or not.

4. “It was simply inconceivable that someone could pull a gun on someone else on the subway and be called a hero for it.”(Gladwell 138)

5. Goetz and the Power of Context In 1984 Bernie Goetz pulled out a gun on the subway and shot the 4 delinquents trying mugging him. Since no one had ever seen anything like this, it raised a flag that crime in New York was so bad that people started doing something about it, such as cleaning graffiti off the subway walls in New York City So is this argument Logical?

6. Goetz and the Power of Context In 1984 Bernie Goetz pulled out a gun on the subway and shot the 4 delinquents mugging him. Since no one had ever seen anything like this, it raised a flag that crime in New York was so bad that people started doing something about it, such as cleaning graffiti off the subway walls in New York City So is this argument Logical? NOPE!

7. Although people did see what had happened on the subway, this still wouldn’t have been enough for people to say they want to help clear up the city of crime. People don’t just watch the news and say they watch the news and therefore say they want to join the force to help protect society from evil. Although epidemics strongly depend on when and where they are going to happen, Gladwell does not provide logical evidence by bringing Goetz’s case to the light.

8. “The essence of the Power of Context is that the same thing is true for certain kinds of environments – that in ways that we don’t necessarily appreciate, our inner states are the result of our outer circumstances.” (Gladwell 152)

9. Prisons and Prisoners In the early 1970’s, Stanford University conducted a research on whether it was the prisoners or the prison that made people into such “nasty” beings. They did this by building a fake prison and having volunteers stay at the prison, some being guards and others prisoners. Once the test was conducted researchers found out that it was more the environment that the people were in that made them act the way they were. (Ex. Some volunteers who were pacifists were told to play the role of a guard and almost instantly became “hard-bitten” discipliners because of the environment.) So is THIS a logical argument?

10. Prisons and Prisoners In the early 1970’s, Stanford University conducted a research on whether it was the prisoners or the prison that made people into such “nasty” beings. They did this by building a fake prison and having volunteers stay at the prison, some being guards and others prisoners. Once the test was conducted researchers found out that it was more the environment that the people were in that made them act the way they were. (Ex. Some volunteers who were pacifists were told to play the role of a guard and almost instantly became “hard-bitten” discipliners because of the environment.) So is THIS a logical argument? YES IT IS

11. Think about this. When you enter the school’s cafeteria do you seemingly talk a bit louder? When teachers in the class and you're taking a test, are you a bit quieter? What about when the teacher leaves the classroom for a second; do you try to whisper or talk to a classmate? … When you enter a prison, wouldn’t you tense up and be more on your guard?

12. The environment around you is everything when it comes to your mind making decisions. Gladwell was right to use this as a logical argument because any way you look at it we are still animals. We adapt to the environment around us and since we are also social creatures; we make others indirectly adapt with us. This argument thus is logical when talking about the Power of Context because the environment around you has a bigger impact on you than you would imagine.

13. “the convictions of your heart and the actual contents of your thoughts are less important, in the end, in guiding your actions than the immediate context of your behavior.” (Gladwell 165)

14. The Good Samaritans John Darley and Daniel Baston, few years back decided to conduct an experiment inspired by a story of the bible which, in short, was two men robbing and leaving a man for dead and then having another “good Samaritan” help out the abandoned man. Darley and Baston conducted this expieriment by seeing how many people would stop to help an injured man given two different circumstances: some would be early to a presentation and some would be running late. Because of their different circumstances, the ones that were early stopped more often than those who were running late showing that when a person is willing to do something will determine whether they will do it or not AKA the Power of Context. So Is this a Logical Argument?

15. The Good Samaritans John Darley and Daniel Baston, few years back decided to conduct an experiment inspired by a story of the bible which in short, was two men robbing and leaving a man for dead and then having another “good Samaritan” help out the abandoned man. Darley and Baston conducted this expieriment by seeing how many people would stop to help an injured man given two different circumstances: some would be early to a presentation and some would be running late. Because of their different circumstances, the ones that were early stopped more often than those who were running late showing that when a person is willing to do something will determine whether they will do it or not AKA the Power of Context. So Is this a Logical Argument? YES!

16. The people were provided a certain environment in which they had to accomplish a certain task. The people that had enough time to be a good Samaritan and accomplish the task were able to do so. However those who were only able to accomplish the original task given and nothing else more, often overlooked any other side tasks. This in turn shows that people, depending of their environment and circumstances, will do other things than what they had originally planned.

17. Essay Prompt Through out chapter 4 Gladwell constantly tries to reinforce the idea that the environment (when and where) something is happening will determine how people will react and whether something will tip or not. Given the evidence provided, Is it logical to think that people’s decisions in life directly correlate with the environment around them or are peoples decisions based on their own thoughts and actions not connected to the world around them?