42 pages 1 hour read

Malcolm Gladwell

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2000

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Background

Genre Context: Popular Psychology/Sociology

Works of popular psychology and popular sociology are differentiated from academic works of the same genres by their comparative accessibility to a broader audience and their flexibility of purpose and design. Works of "pop" psychology and sociology often appear on bestseller lists and win mainstream literary awards, while many of the most highly regarded and influential academic works in the same subjects may be known only to subject-matter experts in their fields. The rapidly growing popularity of pop psychology and sociology is a late-20th century phenomenon that persists into the present day. In terms of sales and influence, Gladwell is one of the most successful authors in this genre.

Successful pop psychology/sociology books take compelling concepts and theories from the academic realm and communicate them to mass audiences with a minimum of specialty jargon, or specialized language. Gladwell's communication of concepts such as broken windows theory and famous studies like the Stanford prison experiment in The Tipping Point demonstrates this process. He removes some nuance from his discussion of these subjects in adapting the original academic studies, but due to his efforts, many more people now understand basic insights about these studies than they would if the concepts had remained limited to an academic audience.

Related Titles

By Malcolm Gladwell

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE

logo

Blink

Malcolm Gladwell

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

Malcolm Gladwell

Study Guide

logo

David And Goliath

Malcolm Gladwell

David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants

Malcolm Gladwell

Study Guide

logo

Outliers

Malcolm Gladwell

Outliers

Malcolm Gladwell

Study Guide

logo

Revenge of the Tipping Point

Malcolm Gladwell

Revenge of the Tipping Point: Overstories, Superspreaders, and the Rise of Social Engineering

Malcolm Gladwell

Study Guide

logo

Talking to Strangers

Malcolm Gladwell

Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know

Malcolm Gladwell

Study Guide

logo

The Bomber Mafia

Malcolm Gladwell

The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War

Malcolm Gladwell

Study Guide

logo

What the Dog Saw

Malcolm Gladwell

What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures

Malcolm Gladwell