The psychology of rumor allport pdf

The psychology of rumor is an important book for every socialogy or psychology student, and it must become more avalible. He came east to study at harvard university, and, while doing social work as an undergraduate, discovered that, in order to help people deal effectively with their. A rumor, as we shall use the term, is a specific or topical proposition for belief, passed along from person to person, usually by word of mouth, without secure standards of evidence being present. Mar 31, 2020 gordon allport was a pioneering psychologist often referred to as one of the founders of personality psychology. First, by refining the driving factors in disinformation behavior, we constructed.

Get a printable copy pdf file of the complete article 2. Gordon allport was born in montezuma, indiana, in 1897, the youngest of four brothers. An analysis of rumor public opinion quarterly oxford academic. Allport and leo postman 1947, the impetus for which was their concern about the damage to morale and. Of all published articles, the following were the most read within the past 12 months. Although most people use gossip and rumor interchangeably, they are different. In their book psychology of rumor, allport and postman. Gordon willard allport spent nearly his entire academic career at harvard, completing both his bachelors degree and his phd at the university, and serving as a faculty member from 1930 1967.

Allport, professor of psychology in the department of social relations, and leo postman, instructor of psychology, both at harvard university, present answers to some of these questions. Social psychology gordon allport 1985 defined social psychology as an attempt to understand and explain how the thoughts, feelings, and behavior of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined, and implied presence of others. Rumor discussions are thus collective sensemaking and threatmanagement efforts. Social psychology has in fact grown up largely through the labors of the sociologists. Social psychology selves can only exist in definite. Reviewed in the united states on november 17, 2011. The psychology of rumor gordon willard allport, leo postman on. Allport also was concerned with racial and religious prejudice. Laws of rumor makers behaviors are the root of curbing rumor and effective way to block rumor occurrence. His 1954 book, the nature of prejudice, was a milestone study.

One of the first psychologists to study personality, allport researched human attitudes, prejudices, and religious beliefs. A psychology of rumor 23 more subject than the formal modes of transmission to inaccuracy and capricious distortion. The measurement of consistent patterns of habit in an individuals behavior, thoughts, and emotions. A shy and studious boy, he was teased quite a bit and lived a fairly isolated childhood. As a visiting consultant at the university of natal in south africa in 1956, allport predicted that the white supremacist cultures of. The psychology of rumor textbook binding june 1, 1965 by gordon willard allport author, leo postman author 5. Therefore, based on system dynamics model, this paper proposed the rumors behavior evolution model of rumor makers, aimed at discovering the laws of rumor makers behaviors to achieve rumors blocking. This article attempts to systematize the field of rumor, its causes and consequences with an eye to the problem of rumor control. Formerly in charge of rumor control for the massachusetts committee of. It is a mistake, however, to suppose, as some have done, that it is a branch of sociology rather than of psychology. A psychology of rumor, public opinion quarterly 8 1, pags.

Gordon allport was one of the pioneer trait theorists who attempted to list the traits that make an individuals personality. In the social sciences, a rumor involves a form of a statement whose veracity is not quickly or ever confirmed. Jan 18, 2017 definition of rumor rumor is a special case of informal social communications including myth, legend and current humor. Rumors in wartime of this subject matter in the lives of individ ual members of the group. A rumor american english or rumour british english. Essentially, social psychology is all about understanding how. In the interim between world wars, rumor received attention from the social scientist. A mead project source page originally published as. In the psychology of rumor, allport and postman define it as follows.

Gordon allport psychology of individual linkedin slideshare. Basic considerations for a psychology of personality the terry lectures series, and more on. Allport and leo postman 1947, the impetus for which was their concern about the damage to morale and national safety caused by menacing rumors spreading needless alarm and raising extravagant hopes p. In the inaccurate accounts both the procedures and implications of the study have been substantially distorted. World war ii saw a burst of interest in the psychology of rumor and rumor control. Allport was one of the first psychologists to focus on the study of the personality, and is often referred to as one of the founding figures of personality psychology. He contributed to the formation of values scales and rejected both a psychoanalytic approach to personality, which he thought often was.

In the psychological literature on eyewitness testimory, the classic allport and postman 1945, 1947 study of rumor has consistently been described inaccurately. In their book psychology of rumor, allport and postman 1947 also formulated the basic law of rumor, in which the. In either case, the rumor helps people actively or emotionally prepare for negative events, or to defend against threats to their selfesteem. Leveling refers to the loss of detail during the transmission process. At a time when behaviorism held sway in psychology departments in the u. Allport, professor of psychology in the department of social. Thus, after establishing a framework for personality theory, allport increasingly emphasized the importance of applying psychology to a range of social issues, and he pioneered studies in prejudice, values and attitudes, social rumor, communication media, and civilian morale in wartime.

Understanding gordon allports trait theory of personality. Allport and postman used three terms to describe the movement of rumor. A rumor is always about some particular person, happening, or condition. If you have access to a journal via a society or association membership, please browse to your society journal, select an article to view, and follow the instructions in this box. His theory of personality, which rejected both freudian psychology and behaviorism, emphasized the uniqueness of the individual and the need to treat problems in terms of present. A second characteristic of rumors is that they provide information. Knapp attempts to systematize the field of rumor its causes and consequenceswith an eye to the problem of rumor control. His major point was the understanding of the process and the reasoning behind rumors. Allport, including the nature of prejudice, and becoming. Knapp to decry the ravages of rumor mongering is one thing.

The theory is based on the stability of traits over time, how they differ from other individuals, and how they will influence human behavior. Oct 12, 2014 gordon allport psychology of individual 1. Allport and postman called their most farreaching assertion the basic law of rumor. Formerly in charge of rumor control for massachusetts committee of public safety the author has probably been as intimately connected with this field as any social scientist ever has. Psychology in general, and social psychology in particular, are thus foundation sciences of sociology. Selves can only exist in definite relationships to. The psychology of rumor gordon willard allport, leo joseph. It declared that rumor strength r will vary with the importance of the subject to the individual concerned i times the ambiguity. Pdf this study takes a soft scientific cut to talks about rumors, hoaxes and urban legends. His theory of personality, which rejected both freudian psychology and behaviorism, emphasized the uniqueness of the individual and. An analysis of rumor public opinion quarterly oxford.

We provide an overview of the type and trait theory of personality as developed by this famous psychologist. When he returned to the united states in 1924, allport was appointed to. Full text full text is available as a scanned copy of the original print version. He rejected two of the dominant schools of thought in psychology at the time, psychoanalysis and behaviorism, in favor of his own approach that stressed the importance of individual differences and situational variables. Gordon willard allport november 11, 1897 october 9, 1967 was an american psychologist. The erroneous descriptions have found their way into the legal literature, apparently as the results of legal scholars. Postman, depart ment of psychology, harvard university, cambridge. From myth and legend it is distinguished by its emphasis on the topical where humor is designed to provoke laughter, rumor begs for beliefs. According to psychologist gordon allport, social psychology is a discipline that uses scientific methods to understand and explain how the thoughts, feelings, and behavior of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied the presence of other human beings. The psychology of rumor hardcover january 1, 1947 by gordon w. Developments are discussed that shaped the conceptualization of the psychology of rumor. Article information, pdf download for allport, gordon w. Definition of rumor rumor is a special case of informal social communications including myth, legend and current humor.