Jung's previously unpublished essay "Ein Beitrag zur Psychologie des Gerüchtes" is his account of a case he was asked to consult on at a school involving a thirteen-year-old pupil, Marie X., who was expelled from school for spreading a rumor about her teacher. The rumor originated from a dream Marie shared with friends, describing a series of events involving her teacher in ambiguous sexual contexts. Jung decided that the rumors were modified by the immaturity of the schoolmates, and recommended to the school that the student be re-admitted. In this work, Jung examines the role of projection—the unconscious act of attributing one's own feelings, thoughts, or motives onto others—as a central factor in how rumors are created and sustained. According to Jung, rumors are often driven by unconscious fears and desires, and they reveal underlying psychological and cultural anxieties that are shared by a group. He argues that as rumors spread, they undergo a process of transformation and amplification, often becoming more fantastical as each person adds their own interpretation or emotional weight. Jung also emphasizes the collective nature of rumors, suggesting that they are not merely individual acts of misinformation, but are deeply rooted in the collective unconscious, where shared symbols, archetypes, and fears influence the content and form of the rumor. He uses this analysis to suggest that rumors can be seen as a reflection of the psychological state of a community or society, offering insights into the fears, desires, and unspoken tensions that lie beneath the surface. This essay is a critical contribution to Jung's broader work on the collective unconscious and the role of shared psychic phenomena in shaping human behavior.
In ""Rumor Psychology: Social and Organizational Approaches"", expert rumor researchers Nicholas DiFonzo and Prashant Bordia investigate how rumors start and spread, the accuracy of different types of rumor, and how rumors can be controlled, particularly given their propagation across media outlets and within organizations. Rumors are an enduring feature of our social and organizational landscapes. They attract attention, evoke emotion, incite involvement, affect attitudes and actions - and they are ubiquitous. Rumor transmission is motivated by three broad psychological motivations - fact-finding, relationship-enhancement, and self-enhancement - all of which help individuals and groups make sense in the face of uncertainty. Rumor is closely entwined with a host of social and organizational phenomena, including social cognition, attitude formation and maintenance, prejudice and stereotyping, group dynamics, interpersonal and intergroup relations, social influence, and organizational trust and communication. Organizational rumors, in contrast with natural disaster rumors, tend to be highly accurate, with accuracy being affected by cognitive, motivational, situational, group, and network factors. DiFonzo and Bordia describe how managers can most effectively manage and refute rumors and infer that employee trust in management inhibits rumor activity.
In the early '40s, rumors about World War II began to spread throughout the United States. The U.S. government was worried about the possible dangers of these rumors and the adverse effects that they could have on American society. The U.S.A. entered World War II on December 8, 1941, and to fight rumors dangerous to national security, the U.S. government decided to encourage social scientists to study the phenomenon of rumors. After the war, Allport and Postman published The Psychology of Rumor (1947). This study was a breakthrough in social psychology. Allport and Postman (1947) defined rumors as propositions of faith on specific (or current) topics that pass from person to person, usually by word of mouth, without evidence of their truth. We have republished, as a facsimile edition, Allport's original work of 1947. This book has been formatted from its original version for publication. IMPORTANT, although we have attempted to maintain the integrity of this title accurately, the present reproduction could have minor errors due to the age of the original scanned copy.
Rumors may be the oldest medium of mass communication of information or ideas. Even before there were newspapers, radio, or television, rumors communicated by word-of-mouth made and shattered reputations, and set off riots and wars. Yet contrary to predictions, rumors continue to thrive, in spite of and parallel to mass media. What accounts for the puzzling persistence and continuing significance of this little-studied social phenomenon? Jean-No;el Kapferer examines the theory and practice of rumors, focusing on specific areas such as entertainment, criminal behavior, business and finance, and politics. He describes the kinds of conditions that give birth to rumors, why we believe them, and the hidden messages they convey. Kapferer points out that rumors frequently serve useful social purposes and present rich examples. He speculates about how rumors can be controlled, changed, and prevented. Drawing upon contributions of disciplines ranging from psychology to history, and integrating the insights of Europeans with the latest work of American researchers, this is the most comprehensive examination of rumors, gossip, and urban legends yet published. Translated into nine languages, this edition was updated with advances in theory and research since the book's original French publication in 1987. Its brisk, accessible style makes the book of interest to psychologists, economists, political scientists, sociologists, and folklore analysts, as well as the general reader who is curious about the origins of this fascinating social phenomenon.
Many of us are being misled. Claiming to know dark secrets about public officials, hidden causes of the current economic situation, and nefarious plans and plots, those who spread rumors know precisely what they are doing. And in the era of social media and the Internet, they know a lot about how to manipulate the mechanics of false rumors—social cascades, group polarization, and biased assimilation. They also know that the presumed correctives—publishing balanced information, issuing corrections, and trusting the marketplace of ideas—do not always work. All of us are vulnerable. In On Rumors, Cass Sunstein uses examples from the real world and from behavioral studies to explain why certain rumors spread like wildfire, what their consequences are, and what we can do to avoid being misled. In a new afterword, he revisits his arguments in light of his time working in the Obama administration.
The goal of this volume is to explore the social and political dynamics of rumor and the related concept of urban or contemporary legend. These forms of communication often appear in tandem with social problems, including riots, racial or political violence, and social and economic upheavals. The volume emphasizes the connection of rumor to a set of social concerns from government corruption and corporate scandal, to racial, religious, and other prejudices. Central to the dialogue are issues of truth, belief, history, public policy, and evidence.Rumor has been recognized as one of the most important contributing factors to violence and discrimination. Yet, despite its significance in exacerbating social discord and mistrust, little systematic scholarly attention has been paid to the political origins and consequences of rumor. Rumor is defined as a proposition for belief that is not backed by secure standards of evidence. Rumor can be traditional or not, and can be expressed as a simple claim of fact. In both instances groups of claim-makers, operating out of their own interests and with a set of resources, attempt to depict reality, and if possible, impact the future.The need for this book is underscored by changing patterns of technology. What in the past was grounded in face- to-face interaction is now often found on the Internet, which is a major source of rumor. An appreciation of how new electronic forms of communication affect communal belief is essential for explicating rumor dynamics. The volume is comprehensive. Essays cover race and ethnicity, migration and globalization, corporate malfeasance, and state and government corruption. While editors and contributors well appreciate the dynamic nature of rumors and legends, the high quality of the effort make it evident that the issues that are raised and reoccur will serve to channel and inspire research in this major field of communications research for years to come.
This book offers a thorough examination of rumors and proposes strategies for organizations to use in combatting rumors that occur both internally and externally. Author Allan J. Kimmel explores the rumor phenomenon and distinguishes it as a distinct form of communication. He looks at psychological and social processes underlying rumor transmission to understand the circumstances under which people invent and circulate rumors. In addition, he examines how rumors are spread--both interpersonally and through mediated processes--and offers strategies for organizations to respond to rumors when they surface and methods for preventing their occurrence. Numerous examples are provided of actual rumor cases for which managers either successfully or unsuccessfully coped, including such companies as Procter & Gamble, McDonald's, Snapple, Pepsi-Cola, and Gerber. Intended to serve as a comprehensive compendium of strategies, this book was written with two objectives in mind. The first is to shed light on the often perplexing phenomenon of rumor by integrating disparate approaches from the behavioral sciences, marketing, and communication fields. The second is to offer a blueprint for going about the formidable tasks of attempting to prevent and neutralize rumors in business contexts. With these dual goals in mind--one theoretical, the other applied--this book will be of equal interest to both academics and managers in a wide range of professional contexts. In addition, it will guide organizational and marketing managers in their efforts to combat the potentially destructive consequences of rumors.
Annotation Here, at last, Is the biography that Abigail Adams has long seservedone that puts her, rather than her husband, at its center, and which interprets her life in light of both its eighteenth-century context and recent feminist scholarship. Gelles brings new insights to familiar topics like the Adamss marriage and Abigails wartime role; explains more fully than previous scholars such incidents as the failed courtship of Royall Tyler and Abigail Junior; and examines with sensitivity hitherto little-known episodes like that of Abigails epistolary flirtation with James Lovell during the Revolution or Abigail Juniors mastectomy in 1811. In short, this is a remarkable achievement, far surpassing all earlier attempts to capture the essence of the woman who was one of early Americas greatest letter-writers. Mary Beth Norton Edith Gelles has written a deeply interesting book about Abigail Adams. ... she is careful to reconstruct the eighteenth-century environment of Abigail Adams. De. Gelles is a careful historian of eighteenth-century America and a thoughtful biographer. She has given us a fresh examination of Abigail Adams which will stimulate in helpful ways additional research and discussion. Robert Middlekauf In this important and fascinating biography, Edith Gelles not only restores Abigail Adams to her rightful place at the center of her own story, she challenges the creaky conventions of traditional male-defined biography. Portia breaks ranks with the biographers twiceby refusing to treat Abigail Adams as a reflection of her husband and by refusing to force her lifes story into an artificially linear narrative. In this masterful work, Edith Gelles reconceptualizes and revolutionizes the very notion of biography by capturing experience as it truly unfolds in so many womens livesas a collage of overlapping and circular impressions and feelings, rather than a relentless climb up a ladder of public ambition. Susan Faludi The best biography of Abigail Adams in print. By keeping the spotlight on Mrs. Adams and sensitively evaluating her in eighteenth-century terms, Edith Gelles provides the most rounded portrait yet of this important woman. Patricia U. Bonomi Edith B. Gelles uses the revolutionary years as the backdrop of this sensitive study, And The political events as the drama in which the players act out well-defined roles. ... [Gelless] story of relationships, networks, and power in the context of Abigails eighteenth-century world is truly a superb accomplishment. American Historical Review Adamss strength, courage, and wit ... emerge more fully than they have in any previous work. ... [Gelles] has succeeded in providing a well-rounded portrait of a remarkable figure. Choice Portia ... Is a refreshing change of pace. ... [Edith Gelles] is affectionate yet scholarly, determined to present Adams as a strong character who was very much a woman of her time, not merely a liberated precursor to feminism or the little wife behind the great man. San Francisco Chronicle Portia, The first woman-centered biography of Abigail Adams, details the issues, events, and relationships that informed Adamss life. The portrait that emerges also describes women like her during the Revolutionary era. Much of Abigail Adamss independent reputation derives from the letters that she wrote for over a half-century. Personal and eloquent, they provide unusual access to her private life and capture the social conventions, politics, and people of her age. The letters describe her domestic sphererelationships with her sisters, her daughter and sons, and friends such as Thomas Jefferson. Her marriage to John Adams is considered in the context of the patria.
