Rumor in a primitive society.
- 1 July 1956
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Psychological Association (APA) in The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology
- Vol. 53 (1) , 122-132
- https://doi.org/10.1037/h0044891
Abstract
This case report is an attempt to study the formation, incidence, and social repercussions of rumor in a small-scale "primitive" society, the Polynesian island of Tikopia in the Western Pacific. The content of rumor in Tikopia is closely related to the experience of the inhabitants, and while the total range is wide, the main themes are relatively few and repetitive. The mode of communication is almost wholly verbal. Most rumors are ephemeral. "They tend to succeed one another in fairly rapid succession, especially when the issue is one of immediate emotional significance[long dash]as a famine, or the fate of absent kin. When they persist or reappear, it is because they correspond to some deep-seated structural cleavage.".Keywords
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