Ideas, products, messages and behaviors "spread just like viruses do." Behavior can ripple outward until a critical mass or "tipping point" is reached, changing the world. Gladwell develops these and other concepts (such as the "stickiness" of ideas or the effect of population size on information dispersal) through simple, clear explanations and entertainingly illustrative anecdotes.

Martians, a reincarnated Irish woman, a dead movie star, an insane anesthetist, and an obsessed U.S. Attorney General - these disparate characters have something in common. Each was at the center of an incident of mass hysteria, in which frightened, grieving, and otherwise disturbed people abandoned their common sense. This fascinating book by a prominent psychologist explores several intriguing case histories of mass hysteria, from "The Great Disappointment"...

A depressive illness or a passing feeling? Mental detachment or a precursor to genius? Melancholy is a critical part of what it is to be human, yet everything from Prozac to self-help psychology books seems intent on removing all signs of sadness from contemporary existence. A Field Guide to Melancholy surveys this ambivalent concept and takes a journey through the articulation of melancholy in a variety of languages, from the Russian toska of Pushkin's...

"This eclectic history of unusual crowd behavior describes a rich assortment of mass phenomena ranging from the amusing and quirky to the shocking and deplorable. What do fads, crazes, manias, urban legends, moral panics, riots, stampedes, and other mass expressions of emotion have in common? By creating a typology of such behavior, past and present, the authors show how common extraordinary group reactions to fear or excitement are. And they offer...

Many forms of activism live within the margins of conventional strategies such as marching, speaking out, and fighting for one's political representatives. This book of essays highlights, celebrates, and broadens the vision of activism to include the intersection between people and the social and political world, while encouraging dialogue across diverse viewpoints and exhorting psychology to become a social-change agent. The author deconstructs racism...

"Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka is a haunting and surreal exploration of existentialism and the human condition. This novella introduces readers to Gregor Samsa, a diligent traveling salesman who wakes up one morning to find himself transformed into a gigantic insect. Kafka's narrative delves into the isolation, alienation, and absurdity that Gregor experiences as he grapples with his new identity. The novella is a profound examination of the individual's...

PRINCIPLES OF TOPOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY by KURT LEWIN. Originally published in 1936. PREFACE by DR. WOLFGANG KOHLER Swarthmore College Swarthmore: DEAR KOHLER This book is the result of a very slow growth. I remember the moment when more than ten years ago it occurred to me that the figures on the blackboard which were to illustrate some problems for a group in psychology might after all be not merely illustrations but representations of real concepts....

Why do otherwise intelligent individuals form seething masses of idiocy when they engage in collective action? Why do financially sensible people jump lemming-like into hare-brained speculative frenzies--only to jump broker-like out of windows when their fantasies dissolve? We may think that the Great Crash of 1929, junk bonds of the '80s, and over-valued high-tech stocks of the '90s are peculiarly 20th century aberrations, but Mackay's classic--first...

The present paper is an attempt to formulate a positive theory of motivation, which will satisfy these theoretical demands and at the same time conform to the known facts, clinical and observational as well as experimental. It derives most directly, however, from clinical experience. This theory is, I think, in the functionalist tradition of James and Dewey, and is, fused with the holism of Wertheimer, Goldstein, and Gestalt Psychology, and with the...

This book is about reconciliation. It is about winning forgiveness and healing for self and others at a price. That price in this book is foot washing. The research, based on descriptions and stories told, shed light on the depth of foot washing as a powerful alternative tool that can break the cycle of conflict and facilitate dialogue. Stories tell that foot washing generated emotions of tears and joy eliciting trust, forgiveness, reconciliation,...