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

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

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