broken window theory

is a theory that people will become more reclusive and less involved in the community if they think crime has increased.

a theory about how crime comes to dominate declining neighborhoods and what to do about it. and Kelling, George L.

is the idea that an epidemic can be reversed (or tipped) by making small changes in the immediate environment. Small things like cleaning up the environment (i.e. Fixing a window) can have a strong effect on behavior and crime statistics.

One might think that we are autonomous and inner directed, and that who we are and how we act is permanently set by our genes and our character. But instead, according to Gladwell, we are powerfully influenced by our environment, immediate context and peer group. An example, or subset of the power of context is referred to as the broken windows theory (p. 141). The idea is that an epidemic can be reversed (or tipped) by making small changes in the immediate environment. Crime for example is viewed as the inevitable result of disorder represented by broken windows, un-repaired buildings, graffiti, aggressive panhandling and trash. The power of context says that small things like cleaning up the environment have a strong effect on behavior. In other words, behavior is a function of social context (p. 150). Teen suicide and teen smoking are provided as examples of how peer groups affect behavior. Teens apparently commit suicide, smoke and engage in other forbidden behavior because someone that they identify with does those things (See Chapter 7). Smoking is not cool, people who smoke are cool (p. 233).

broken window theory, n.Definitions

broken window theory