Malcolm Gladwell The Power Of Context Analysis

All individuals are surrounded by a massive environment which eventually begins to influence all parts of one’s life. In a broad context, everyone is influenced by each other; creating an interest beneficiary relationship. However, in a general context, the environment imposes a much bigger influence on both parties; affecting one’s perspective and opinion. This big general context becomes one of the reasons people shape their thoughts and behaviors around their specific environment. In the essay “Selections from Hard to Get: Twenty-Something Women and the Paradox of Sexual Freedom,” Leslie Bell discusses how women could have “splitting” when they gain the contradictory directives from a pre selected society. “Splitting” is a term used to describe

The big context is composed of all the population; every person is an element of context. With people’s mind changing, people will change their behaviors also. By many people changing their thoughts and actions, the big context would shift its standards also. Context can be changed by people; however, another side, the big context always has an influence on the society’s acceptance towards any event. In Bell’s research, the society has a strict standard for young women, which requires them enjoy sexuality, while do not donate too much of their trust in men. Bell said “instead of feeling free, twenty-something women are weighed down by vying cultural notions about the kind of sex and relationships they should be having in their twenties” (28). When more and more people accepting the idea that women should enjoy but not trust too much in men, the whole social standard for women in their relationships shifts and changes. The context gives the pressure for the whole group of people in society follow the guideline it has. In Bell’s study, young women have to follow the general social standards due to the social standard is changing with context changing. Pressures for young women, such as pressures about sexuality, often comes from the big environment. Context is important and all the small components can have a big influence on the whole society. Considering his case studies on New York crime events last