The broken windows theory

People have a tendency to copy each other actions - and this applies not only about good behavior, but also bad. The broken windows theory is based on this phenomenon. Originally, it explained the impact of minor offenses on the overall level of crime, but it can be applied in everyday life.

The theory was proposed by American sociologists James Wilson and George Kelling. In 1982, they published in «The Atlantic Monthly» an article «Broken Windows» where they described how ignoring petty crime affects the overall crime rate:

“Social psychologists and police officers tend to believe that if a window is broken in a building and not repaired, other windows will be broken soon. This is true for both prosperous and disadvantaged areas.’’

In 1969, psychologist Philip Zimbardo did an experiment. He parked two cars without license plates and with raised hoods, one in the Bronx, a disadvantaged area of New York, the other in the quieter Palo Alto. Literally ten minutes after Zimbardo left the car in the Bronx, locals began to take everything of value from it, and then smashed windows and teared upholstery. In Palo Alto, the car sat untouched for more than a week. Then Zimbardo broke part of it with a sledgehammer - and soon passersby joined him. In a few hours, the car was simply destroyed.

The broken windows theory suggests that the less attention society pays to petty crime, the more it becomes. People do them based on the logic “If others can, then why can’t I?” Gradually, the bar is lowered, and the crimes become more serious.