In The Tipping Point, Malcom Gladwell discusses “The Power of Context” (133), and suggests that the principles within our “heart[s] and the actual contents of [our] thoughts are less important…in guiding [our] actions than the immediate context of [our] behavior” (165). This means that regardless of our moral and rational impulses, our true behavior is affected by existing circumstances. I corroborate Gladwell’s assertion because of the behavior of those imprisoned at Stanford University, my own observations, and my spiritual excursion to Tennessee. Gladwell’s claim is reflected through an ample case study of imitated confinement at Stanford University. In the early 1970s, a long corridor in the university’s psychology building was transformed …show more content…
Along with around twenty other classmates, I aided in in the construction of two beautiful homes for two of the many impoverished families of Scott County. (Maybe another sentence). While in this impoverished, rural community, my typical impulses experienced changes. Prior to taking off from LaGuardia Airport, our chaperones directed us to leave all technology behind. We were not even allowed to have our cellphones for the week ahead, and therefore disconnected from the outside world entirely. Normally, I feel an urge to check my pocket to see if any alerts come to my phone; however, as the week progressed I began to do so less often. By the end of the week, my compulsion to use technology nearly vanished. Throughout the first few days after my return home, I periodically checked my cellphone far less often than I did beforehand. However, my habit has revived as a result of returning to our metropolitan area which has such a large reliance on technology. While in Scott County, listening to country music became a daily activity. This music became a wakeup call, a vocal activity throughout lengthy bus rides, a source of humor, and an accessory to times of reflection. The consistency of this music throughout the week took over my common impulse to alienate it and preference to hear either rock or rap music. Prior to this trip, I despised when my