Power Of Context's Influence On Cadets

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The Power of Context’s Influence on Cadets When a person commits an action, such as a crime, the reason for it usually has to do with the person’s surroundings. The reason for this is because people tend to follow the behaviors or perspectives that are common in their surrounding environment. In Malcolm Gladwell’s essay, “The Power of Context,” Gladwell embraces the theory that a person’s actions are directly related to their environment. This means that a person’s personality is developed from what people witness around them (such as other people, advertising, media etc.). Gladwell, additionally, presents the case that the only way to change this is by having a factor that can modify these actions or a “tipping point.” Susan Faludi, similarly, displays how …show more content…

This is evident in Faludi's text when a cadet does objects the universal archetype that is evident in the institution. Furthermore, the cadets have adapted to the commonplace lifestyle at The Citadel because they are acutely sensitive to their environment, making it difficult for their lifestyle to be “tipped” unless there is a change in their setting. Despite that, a cadet who is impervious to their environment might not adapt and create their own actions and perspectives, making them strong willed. The setting at The Citadel could easily be “tipped”, but since the majority of cadets are weak willed, they might not be able to adapt to the new environment. This is evident when the cadets at The Citadel are unwilling to accept women into their institution because this altering factor, according to the cadets, is big enough to change their entire system. A cadet states, “‘you know these [cadets] are going to be your friends for life.’ his voice trailed off. ‘I just can’t explain it but when they take that away, it’s over. The place will be ruined”(Faludi 75). The cadets who succumb