6.+Malcolm+Gladwell

6. Malcolm Gladwell: Jack

Aim: Gladwell's books and often examine the unexpected or unseen implications of research in social science and often make reference to work done in the areas of sociology and psychology. When describing his writing process, he said "I have two parallel things I'm interested in. One is, I'm interested in collecting interesting stories, and the other is I'm interested in collecting interesting research. What I'm looking for is cases where they overlap" (Wikipedia). Gladwell aims to show the true nature of humans through understand commentaries on the modern works of psychology and its effect on modern day society.

Audience: Malcolm Gladwell has become incredibly popular from his work. As consequence, many critics have attempted to slander him for his oversimplification. He has been criticized for his “lack of understanding of basic human nature” (Wikipedia). In addition, he is often criticised for his use of story instead of scientific fact, which many critics and readers interpret and fraudulent psychology. Gladwell’s ability to tell charming stories gained him great popularity, but some have interpreted his presentation as a poor assessment of human psychology, as he often skips over scientific research. Dis writing has been frequently discredited due to his excessive use of analogy which other psychologists argue is a sign of a lack of expertise. He is praised by readers, but within the scientific community, he is virtually exiled as a fraud.

Cultural: His most famous works, The Tipping Point has won numerous awards and is regarded as one of the best book ever written (Wikipedia). His ability to present the ideas of modern psychology to an average audience sparked a new age in scientific culture. The Tipping Point is one of the best selling books of the decade, showing its incredible impact on society. To the average reader, his work has changed the world.Outliers, another books of Gladwell’s, was a number 1 The New York Times bestseller for 11 straight weeks, and was Time '​s number 10 nonfiction book of 2008, as well as named to the San Francisco Chronicle '​s list of the 50 best nonfiction books of 2008 (Wikipedia). His work did not go unnoticed, and shook today’s culture and how it interprets psychology.

Historical: Gladwell was born in England. His mother was a psychologist and his father was a mathematician which meant he was no stranger to academia; especially psychology. Gladwell notes his parents as his two biggest role models for his writing (Wikipedia). When he was a small child, his family moved from England to Canada. Changing countries made it hard for Malcolm to make friends, which gave him a great deal of time to spend with his parents, absorbing their work. Growing up, he spent his free time in the library of the college his father taught at, reading about psychology and behaviorology. In 1984, he graduated with a degree in history. Shortly after earning his degree, he began writing. From his childhood, his interests in psychology and sociology sparked a series of publication that would eventually garner him his extreme success.

Sources: "Malcolm Gladwell." //Wikipedia//. Wikimedia Foundation, 05 Oct. 2009. Web. 01 Apr. 2015.