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Spiral of Silence Theory

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Spiral of Silence Theory Elizabeth Noelle-Neumann’s spiral of silence is a theory that was developed in 1974 and as the founder and the director of the Public Opinion Research Center in Allensbach in Germany; she has found evidence of how the spread of public opinion is formed. The term spiral of silence refers to the increasing pressure people feel to conceal their views they think they are the minority. People will be unwilling to publicly express their opinion if they are in the minority and they will also be more vocal if they believe they are a part of the majority. Thus, the more marginalized you become, the less you speak and so you spiral into a fully marginalized position. Neumann’s claim are based on previous collaborative …show more content…

It is used to reveal a series of factors that measures the likelihood that people will voice their opinions. There are six factors and the first one is the most important: 1. Those who favor the majority position are willing to express their voice more comfortably. “Feeling in harmony with the spirit of the age loosens the tongue.” [Griffin, Em. "Spiral of Silence." A First Look at Communciation Theory. 7th ed. N.p.: McGraw-Hill, n.d. N. pag. Print. 2. If perception of the present opinon does not match the climate of the conversation, the willingness to speak will depend on how well the conversation continues on. 3. People are more willing to speak if their views match their counterparts than to those who disagree. 4. Low self-esteem will cause a person to mute their opinion more often than others. 5. Males, young adults, and people of the middle and upper classes tend to speak out more easily. 6. Existing law encourages people to express their opinion when they feel outnumbered. The Supreme Court’s Roe v Wade is a good example. Now that we know the building blocks of the spiral of silence, we can get to root of Noelle-Neumann’s model of her theory leading to her main point and the last factor, fear of isolation. The fear of isolation is the centrifugal force that accelerates the spiral of silence. Essentially, people fear becoming social isolates and thus take measures to avoid such a consequence. Her assumption is drawn

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