Neumann's Spiral of Silence Theory

It is one of the most difficult challenges anyone can face, and one that for some cultures could result in very harsh consequences. Stating an opinion that does not relate to the majority’s opinion can be a very frightening experience, yet at the same time be a very refreshing, calming experience. The Spiral of Silence theory, created by Elizabeth Noelle-Neumann, explains why people fear to express their opinions when their opinion does not match that of the majority’s. Her research and discoveries will be discussed as well as those that did not feel that her theory was adequate to explain such phenomena as the Spiral of Silence Theory consists of.

Elizabeth Noelle-Neumann was part of a German research institute that had found evidence to support Tocqueville’s view; “More frightened of isolation than of committing an error, they joined the masses even though they did not agree with them.”(Neumann) This idea spawned what we know now as the Spiral of Silence theory. The increasing pressures people feel to hide their true thoughts are what are referred to as the spiral of silence. One thing that amazed Neumann the most was the human ability to discern the climate of public opinion (Griffin). Now if we introduce a little science, we have five senses that make us aware of our environment: site, smell, touch, taste, and hearing. Neumann believes that a human has a quasi-statistical organ (Griffin). In other words, humans have a sixth sense that records information about what people around the world are thinking and feeling. How else, she says, can we account for the fact that "when a swing in the climate occurs for or against a party, a person, or a particular idea, it seems to be sensed everywhere at almost exactly the same time, by ...

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...e. This theory went a lot deeper than I thought it would, I was genuinely surprised. Most of the interpersonal communication theories that are taught arguably are common sense theories. Yet, when you consider when these theories were constructed and the certain events that took place inspiring the ideas in the first place…it’s actually quite remarkable. Elizabeth Noelle-Neumann had a fundamental idea inspired by researchers before her time, an idea that explains why all humans think a certain way or don’t think a certain way. Quite remarkable.

Bibliography

Griffin, Em. "A First Look at Communication Theory." McGraw-Hill,

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Noelle-Neumann, E. (1974), The Spiral of Silence A Theory of Public Opinion. Journal of Communication, 24: 43–51.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1460-2466.1974.tb00367.x/abstract