Malcolm Gladwell (2002) postulated the tipping point theory as more than just a model for explaining political, social, and economic phenomena. According to Gladwell (2002), and understanding of the factors that lead to tipping points provides a basis for influencing (manipulating) phenomenological trends.
This brief assignment considers the tipping point theory in two contexts. First, there is a consideration of some of the factors that may contribute to the development of a tipping point or that may influence developments that lead to the creation of the critical mass that defines a tipping point. Second, tipping point theory is applied to a hypothetical situation involving variations in the frequency of criminal behavior.
Factors That May Contribute to or Influence the development of a Tipping Point
A tipping point is the stage in the progression of a phenomenon when a critical mass is attained. The concept of a critical mass in physical science (nuclear physics as an example), social science (economics as an example), public health (the HIV epidemic as an example), or any other unstable phenomenon when development reaches the point that the character of the phenomenon changes dramatically. When sufficient enriched plutonium is amassed in a sufficiently close proximity, the somewhat unstable atoms become highly unstable and create a massive explosion that in turn unleashes highly destructive blast effects, devastating thermal effects, and deadly radiation. By understanding the concept of the tipping point (critical mass), however, human beings are able to control the development of the outcomes of reaching the tipping point so that the effects can be either (a) beneficial or (b) targeted in their creation of mayhem.
In a public health phenomenon (such as the SARS epidemic), initial progress in development tends to be gradual. As relatively few people are infected with the
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