The Tipping Point

CHAPTER 4

1.     Who was Bernhard Goetz?

Goetz was a slender man in his thirties living in Greenwich Village.  He shot 4 black teenagers who had approached him on the subway.  He was called the “Subway Vigilante”.

2.     Describe New York City in the 1980’s --- specifically crime and public transportation.   According to Gladwell, what tipped the NYC crime epidemic?

In the 1980’s crime was at its peak in New York City.  The public transportation system was in disrepair in that trains could only run at certain speeds in various locations, the trains were filthy with graffiti, and the platforms were dimly lit.  The system was not making money because of the turnstiles being jammed.  The harassment of the riders involving petty crimes made the ridership at an all time low.

The illegal trade in cocaine began to decline, the economic recovery meant that people got jobs again, and there were fewer people between the ages of 18 and 24 were factors to cause the crime epidemic to tip.

3.     Explain the Broken Windows theory.

According to criminologists Wilson and Kelling, if a window was broken in a business and was not repaired that would send a message to the people that no one cared.  It was easy then for the business to be a victim of graffiti. At this point, crime  sets in and becomes contagious in the area due to the area appearing to be run down.

4.     Do you agree that “behavior is a function of social context” and that

“what really matters is little things”?

          Yes, I do agree that behavior is a function of social context.  I think that students do act differently in an atmosphere of disorganization rather than in a structured environment.  If students know that there are expectations to keep clutter at a minimum and materials are kept in an organized fashion, then that models how their  thoughts could be organized while doing their work. The “little things” can make a big difference in adding a special touch to a project or making a room a unique setting.

5.     How did David Gunn, the new subway director, put the Broken Window theory into effect in New York City?

Gunn began is directorship by cleaning up the graffiti on the subway system train by train. He created cleaning stations at the end of the line, and trains went back in the system daily all cleaned up.  Gunn felt that sending in the cleaned trains sent a message that the system was not in disarray.  New trains were added, and a sense of pride was instilled once again in the system.  

6.     How did the new head of the transit police, William Bratton, aid Gunn

with the Broken Window theory?

          Bratton aided Gunn in his efforts to clean up the transit system

          by cracking down on people not paying their fares.  At one  

          point 170,000 people per day were boarding without paying!

          Bratton put plainclothesman at the turnstiles, and arrests were

          made on the spot.  Bratton had equipped an old city bus as a

          police station  for a quicker means of processing crime.

7.     Describe the prison experiment.  What do you make of the results?

The prison experiment took place in a transformed basement of a psychology building at Stanford University.  A mock prison was created with cellblocks and even a solitary confinement cell.  Zimbardo advertised for volunteers and ended up choosing 21 “normal” ones  of the 75 that applied.  The group was divided into guards and prisoners.  He soon learned that the guards used extreme tactics in some cases and the prisoners rebelled.  The results of the experiment pointed out that in specific situations we genetically are not made to  handle powerful treatment.

8.     What effect does birth order have on personality?

It seems that birth order is thought of as a family personality.  An older brother can be domineering whereas a younger sibling can be shy or rebellious depending on the family.  Birth order does affect how a person thinks of himself within the family.  It was brought to my attention once that when a parent remarries and the new husband has children, the “birth order” gets all mixed up --- the older child may become a middle child and the baby may be a second child depending on the ages of children in the two families.

9.     What is the Good Samaritan research and what do you think of it?

The Good Samaritan research was done by two Princeton psychologists, Darley and Batson.  They conducted a study that was based on the biblical story of the Good Samaritan.    The class was given an assignment to write a biblical based theme, and they were to walk over and present it to another class.  On the way they encountered a man slumped in the alley.  Their research was to see how the students handled the situation.  They found that if the student was in a hurry he did not stop.  They also found out that the convictions of your heart don’t always show in your behavior. 

I thought it was an interesting study.  In some ways I was not surprised at their findings.  It seems that being in a hurry and on your own mission takes precedence over stopping to help someone.

     10.  Gladwell states that “,,,our inner states are the result of our outer

            circumstances”.  Do you believe that environment truly makes an

            impact on our actions?

                   Yes, I do think that our inner states are influenced greatly by

            outer circumstances.  Whether it be by television or word of mouth,

             we choose to be influenced by what we see and hear.  A family may                 discuss information, but each member takes the information and

             reacts to it differently.  Peer pressure is so influential, too. 

11.                            How do you define character?  Look at how Gladwell defines it on

     page 163.  Compare and contrast your thoughts to his.

          Gladwell defines character as a “bundle of habits,

          tendencies , and interests dependent upon circumstance

          and context.” 

          Character to me is taking the genetic traits I was given and

          developing myself  by taking advantage of experiences as well

          as engaging  myself with  many different people along the

          way in my areas of interests.   I am one of four children, and we

          all were given a “family character”, however, we each have

          pursued our own lifestyle and profession.

12.                          Do you follow your convictions and thoughts or the immediate

            context of your behavior?  Give an example or two.

                   I follow my convictions and thoughts just because I was raised

                   to be proud of who I am and what I think.  Our family talked

                   together, and even though we may not all agree, we respected

                   each  other’s opinions.   

                   It is a challenge with one of my daughters because she thinks

                   differently about some things than I do.  At times I question my

                   thoughts and convictions, however, with time I can see another

                   angle or approach to my thinking.