Rumors and Rumor Control
Rumors and Rumor Control

Author: Allan J. Kimmel

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-05-13

Total Pages: 281

ISBN-13: 1135647097

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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.

Rumors and Rumor Control
Rumors and Rumor Control

Author: Allan J. Kimmel

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-05-13

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 1135647100

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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.

The Rumor
The Rumor

Author: Lesley Kara

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Published: 2019-06-18

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 1984819356

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“Keeps you guessing until the final page.”—Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train “A rollercoaster ride to the very last sentence.”—Fiona Barton, author of The Widow “Everyone will be talking about The Rumor.”—Shari Lapena, author of The Couple Next Door When a single mother hears a shocking rumor outside her son’s school, she never intends to pass it on. But one casual comment leads to another . . . and now there’s no going back. Rumor has it that a notorious killer, who committed a brutal crime as a child, has been living a new life under an assumed identity in Joanna’s seaside town. So who is the criminal hidden in their midst? Suspicion falls on everyone. As Joanna becomes obsessed with the case, her curiosity will expose her son and his father to the supposedly reformed murderer—who may be ready to kill again. She will learn how dangerous one rumor can become . . . and just how far she must go to protect those she loves. She is going to regret the day she ever said a word. Praise for The Rumor “A brilliant premise with a killer twist. The Rumor depicts the prejudices and secrets that simmer in a small seaside town to devastating effect.”—Colette McBeth, author of An Act of Silence “This mystery has an unusual and resonant theme—how a single rumor can morph into a completely unmanageable, deadly force. . . . [There’s] psychological acuity throughout and [an] astonishing ending.”—Booklist

The Psychology of Rumor
The Psychology of Rumor

Author: Gordon Willard Allport

Publisher:

Published: 2022-11-06

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781955087339

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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, Race, and Riots
Rumors, Race, and Riots

Author: Terry Ann Knopf

Publisher: Transaction Publishers

Published: 1975-01-01

Total Pages: 416

ISBN-13: 9780878550630

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Are race-related rumors rooted in the personality traits of the individual? Are they a kind of "improvised news" for a community? Do they come and go at random or form definite, recognizable patterns? What role do the news media play in spreading rumors? These and other questions are treated in this classic study, now available in paperback with a new introduction by the author, of how and why rumors emerge in connection with racial disorders. Included is an examination and critique of the three major models of rumor formation: the psychological approach, emphasizing the emotional needs and drives of the individual; the functional approach, which views rumors as a form of "improvised news"; and the conspiratorial approach, which sees rumors as deliberately planted and not spontaneous. The author's "process model" of rumor formation is based on the premise that rumors cannot "cause" violence and that violence cannot "cause" rumors. Both are viewed as parts of the same process. Rumors are seen as just one of a series of determinants, each of which increases the likelihood of a collective outburst. Among the determinants examined are: conditions of stress; a rigid social structure supported by a racist ideology; and a hostile belief system (or negative set of generalized perceptions) held separately by different groups. Race-related rumors are functionally tied to the latter point and crystallize, confirm, and intensify these beliefs by linking them to actual events. Hundreds of pertinent rumors are documented from local newspapers and investigative accounts. An exhaustive, systematic inquiry is made into the series of disorders that occurred between 1967 and 1970. The role played by rumors during these disturbing times is examined and compared to earlier periods of unrest. Implications for public policy are explored along with a hard look at rumor-control centers. The influence of the police and other public officials as well as the news media are treated extensively since they play a big part in fostering a grapevine in the white suburbs similar to the one found in the inner cities. Terry Ann Knopf teaches arts and media criticism at Boston University's Journalism Department. Earlier, she worked as a TV critic for the Miami Herald and the Patriot Ledger, and was also a correspondent at the Boston Globe specializing in the arts and media.

Rumor Psychology
Rumor Psychology

Author: Nicholas DiFonzo

Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA)

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 312

ISBN-13:

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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.

On Rumors
On Rumors

Author: Cass R. Sunstein

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2014-03-10

Total Pages: 122

ISBN-13: 0691162506

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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.

Witchcraft, Sorcery, Rumors and Gossip
Witchcraft, Sorcery, Rumors and Gossip

Author: Pamela J. Stewart

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13: 9780521004732

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This book combines two classic topics in social anthropology in a new synthesis: the study of witchcraft and sorcery and the study of rumors and gossip. First, it shows how rumor and gossip are invariably important as catalysts for accusations of witchcraft and sorcery. Second, it demonstrates the role of rumor and gossip in the genesis of social and political violence, as in the case of both peasant rebellions and witch-hunts. Examples supporting the argument are drawn from Africa, Europe, India, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia.