From: derek gatherer (dgatherer2002@yahoo.co.uk)
Date: Tue 17 Feb 2004 - 20:29:28 GMT
--- Richard Brodie <richard@brodietech.com> wrote: >
>
> Wow! Do they cover evolutionary psychology?
Allport and Postman posit a “Law of Rumor” which
states that the likelihood of spread is proportional
to the importance of the subject and the degree of
ambiguity surrounding it. I suppose what EP has
subsequently focussed on, is why we regard some things
as important. In the language of the late 40s,
Allport and Postman suggest “relief”, “justification”
and “explanation”. Rumours “relieve primary emotional
urges” or “assuage immediate emotional tension”, they
“justify” gut instincts, they explain where meaning is
lacking, they “provide a broader interpretation of
various puzzling features of the environment”. They
also talk a lot about “projection”. “Rumor is akin to
the daydream at second hand”. Also “anticipation”, in
the “home-stretch rumors”.
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