The Plausibility of the Power of Context - Assignment Example

The Power of Context Attempts to explain the reasons behind people’s actions have given rise to the development of theories seeking to demystify the same. In his book The Power of Context, Gladwell advances one such theory based on the premise that one’s immediate context is the primary determinant and guide to their actions and decisions. In the theory dubbed “The Power of Context”, Gladwell provides that contrary to common belief, personality makes little or no contribution to a person’s actions. While the idea seems radical, an evaluation of different situations based on other authors’ work seemingly implies the functionality of the theory. An evaluation of Cathy Davidson’s Project Classroom Makeover, for instance, as well as Oliver Sacks’ The Mind’s Eye, reveals instances which manifest Gladwell’s provision that the context informs people’s actions. This essay applies Gladwell’s ideas to The Mind’s Eyes and Project Classroom Makeover with the aim of confirming or contradicting the plausibility of the power of context. The Power of Context The concept of the power of context is plausible as this essay will prove using Gladwell's work as well as the two readings. According to Gladwell, the power of context is an argument that bases decisions and actions on the environment in which they occur (242). Essentially, a behavior is a direct consequence of the social context in which it is exhibited. This concept is best explained using the case of Goetz, a man who shoots at a group of teenagers demanding money from him at the subway and fatally injures them (233). At the time, the entire New York City was a hotbed for crime and Goetz had fallen victim to muggers before. The subway was particularly a breeding ground for criminals, a fact evident in the graffiti, muggings, and disorder. This prevalence of crime in the subway, Gladwell argues, was the primary cause of Goetz’s behavior rather than his personality and upbringing and that of his victims. Gladwell proves his theory right when Bratton’s strategy of changing little factors, which appeared and were previously considered inconsequential in fighting crime in the big picture, had its intended impact which was the reduction of crime and disorder in the subway (242). He further confirms the plausibility of the theory using Zimbardo’s experiment during which two groups were selected to participate in a simulated prison experiment. The volunteers assigned the roles of guards exhibited behavior and actions typical of correctional officers while the rest rebelled, exhibited rage, emotional depression, and other behavior particular to prisoners (244). Based on these examples, therefore, Zimbardo, Bratton, and Goetz prove that the power of context is plausible and that it explains the reason behind people’s actions and behavior. The concept’s plausibility is further confirmed in Sacks’ piece The Mind’s Eye which discusses different people’s experiences to blindness. In the book, different people lose their eyesight, but each one exhibits a different reaction. Given the fact their circumstances are similar; the only possible explanation behind their different reactions is their contexts. Hull, for instance, “loses all visual images and memories and the idea of seeing” despite having had eyesight for the first thirty-five years of his life (48) which could be attributable to his perception of the world after the loss as non-visual. Torey, another person Sack features in his book loses his sight as well but unlike Hull retains his memories of what objects look like by using his imagination to visualize images allowing him to ‘see’ them (51). Hull and Torey go through a similar experience, but their actions and behavior afterward differ due to the differences in their contexts, a fact which gives credibility to the power of context approach to understanding actions and behavior. Finally, Davidson also helps confirm the credibility of Gladwell’s assertion in the power of context approach. Project Classroom Makeover features a report of the different ways of using iPods that students at Duke University came up with as part of a project requiring them to suggest means of incorporating them into their education. Different students in different majors came up with distinct ideas relating specifically to their contexts. Music students, for instance, used the iPods to record music and insert their own voices and instruments in their work while health students used them in diagnosis. Each group used the tool differently based on its context which is the essence of the power of context. The three readings, therefore, confirm the approach. The Application of the Power of Context The approach is applicable in different environments as proven in different individual situations in the readings. First, in understanding the concept’s application, it is crucial to understand the distinction between environment and context. In the approach, environment refers to a combination of events and circumstances while the context is a specific aspect of the environment. In The Power of Context, for instance, the environment encompasses the high rate of crime at the time seen through specific aspects, which make up the context of individual situations. Gladwell suggests the application of the concept through what he calls ‘tinkering,’ which is fundamentally altering small details in the environment, and consequently the context of specific situations, to affect a person’s actions and behavior (241). In the case of Goetz, for instance, there is a possibility that he would have had a different reaction had the walls been clean of graffiti and the subway safer and more orderly. Confirming this, Gladwell writes that “The power of context says that the showdown had everything to do with the message sent by the graffiti and the disorder of the turnstiles” (243). These details might appear small but changing them would have made a difference, as it did when later, the new director had all graffiti cleaned and restored order in the subway. The resulting reduction in crime after the cleanup embodies the effects of changing the context or environment through tinkering. Like Gladwell, Davidson illustrates the application of the power of context in his work. In the experiment, the institution created a context which encouraged innovation and creativity when the program required the students to have good ideas for the academic use of iPods before receiving them (65). As opposed to before when the gadgets were distributed with no merit, the new directive led to increased innovation among the students. It gave rise to over forty-eight new ways of using iPods for educational purposes as illustrated by the professor when he says that “within the year, they had distributed more free iPods” (65). Introducing the iPods into the environment gives the students a reason to be creative but further introducing a context that necessitates the creativity provides further incentive leading the students to be innovative. The context, therefore, influences the creative and innovative behavior of the students illustrating the application of the power of context. While Gladwell and Davidson confirm the power of context, some perspectives indicate that Sacks seemingly contradicts its plausibility and applicability. The Mind’s Eye, in its description of the environment and contexts surrounding each of the featured visually impaired people depicts them as exhibiting different reactions and actions in similar situations. Hull loses his vision and with it the memories of images he saw before the loss (48). Unlike Hull, Torey, who was blinded in an accident maintains sight using his ‘inner eyes’ and imagination which by his admission allow him to conjure images of objects in his mind (50). Tenberken, another one of the featured stories reacts to her visual impairment by associating things with colors and using these colors to identify objects (51). These examples represent three people in a similar environment but whose actions and behavior are different. Their different reaction to their loss of sight casts doubts to the power of context, which, however, could be addressed by pointing out that while their environment is similar; their contexts are different which explains the difference in their reaction. Different theorists advance their perspectives on the reasons people act the way they do, a majority suggesting personality and one’s background and upbringing as potential influencing factors. Gladwell argues that environment and context determine behavior and actions, a premise Davidson and Sacks confirm in their work. Situations exist, however, which question the power of context based on the fact that people in similar environments may act or behave differently. Work Cited Davidson, Cathy N. Now You See It: How Technology and Brain Science Will Transform Schools and Business for the 21st Century. London: Penguin Publishing Group, 2011. Gladwell, Malcolm. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. Boston, Mass: Back Bay Books/Little, Brown and Co, 2002. Sacks, Oliver W. The Mind's Eye. London: Picador, 2011. Read More