My Progress

I'm officially two weeks into my independent study! I have not yet met with my mentor to discuss the first couple chapters of The Tipping Point, but hopefully that meeting will be scheduled in the next few days. I am currently on chapter 3 out of 8 of Malcolm Gladwell's book, so I hope to wrap up this book before the second week in April. In these three chapters I've read Gladwell's view on the three rules of epidemics, the law of the few, and the stickiness factor. I've already published my first blog post about the three rules of epidemics, so if you have a second, please check that out. It's fascinating information!

The Tipping Point ~ Opening

"What happened is that the small number of people in the small number of situations in which the police or the new social forces had some impact started behaving very differently, and that behavior somehow spread to other would-be criminals in similar situations." (Gladwell, 10)

I've always found it interesting how my Grandma and I have very different views of New York City. Her immediate reaction, is a puckered face followed by an "oh" of disdain. However, her reaction never agreed with my views of New York. When I traveled there to study this past summer, my mom constantly reminded me that she wouldn't have left me in the city alone 20 years ago.

So what changed in New York City in these 20 years? 

Malcolm Gladwell addresses contagious behavior in the opening of his book, The Tipping Point. He clearly states, "behavior is infectious." Somehow a large number of residents in New York City got "infected" with anticrime virus in a short period of time. Malcolm Gladwell relates contagious behavior to fashion trends. In fashion, trends catch on like wild fire and everyone is fighting to be seen as the "fashionable" one. Whether in fashion or just everyday life, Gladwell explains that all drastic changes start as only minute differences.

How does this relate to child behavior? 

Since the day a baby is born, they begin to take in the world around them. When children begin school, they are exposed to a new world filled with socially contagious behaviors. Later on in life around middle school, contagious behaviors reach an all time high (Oxford Journals). This is the time where preteens begin to question their bodies and overall appearance. The seemingly innocent behaviors the five-year-old had previously picked up, are not as innocent anymore. Middle School is the age where contagious behavior is pivotal to address.