Law of Imitation Meaning

Tarde, G. and Antoine, J. P. (2001). The laws of imitation. Paris: Seuil. In an observation that would be consistent with Brodie`s memetic reconception of the literature on social influence (Brodie 1996), Tarde also addressed the possibility of developing a successful imitation independent of any truth or utility that this imitation might have. In order to develop a successful imitation or meme in today`s language, Tarde suggested that it might be sufficient to present the invention (mutated imitation) as a descendant of an endemic part of the culture into which it is to be introduced: Gabriel Tarde was a French social psychologist, sociologist and criminologist. In The Laws of Imitation (1880), he suggests that imitation is the driving force behind the development of language and the development of institutions and the arts. The interrelated categories of “invention,” “imitation,” and “opposition” are at the heart of Tarde`s sociology.

New ideas spread by imitation, those that resemble existing standards are more easily imitated. There are three laws of imitation: (1) the law of close contact; (2) the law of imitation of superiors by subordinates; and (3) the Insertion Act (where new behaviours reinforce or replace the usual). Although Tarde had no direct followers in France, with the exception of a few criminologists, his ideas had a lasting influence on sociology and criminology. His concept of group spirit was then taken up and developed by Gustave Le Bon. Le Bon then developed Tarde`s ideas to explain what is called herd behavior or mass psychology. Everett Rogers promoted Tarde`s “laws of imitation” in the 1962 book Diffusion of Innovations. Sociologists at the Chicago School of Sociology took some of Tarde`s conclusions and developed them. They influenced later thinking about social psychology concepts and the spread of social ideas. Tarde`s three laws of imitation have had a huge impact on the study of deviance and social control.

Tarde`s second law is worth seeing. He distinguishes between two types of people: inventors and imitators. Some innovate, others copy. But be careful! Tarde does not say at all that imitation is degenerate or made for idiots. Not at all: we all imitate, and in the end, the great inventions themselves are just a moment of imitation. When a young girl watches a makeup tutorial, she first mimics the YouTube machine to get the technique. But then she will improve her style or even counteract what she has learned by finding an alternative approach. Bach imitated his predecessors, but either by refinement or by resistance to them; He created his style, which was imitated himself. This is another law of communication: to give models to follow so that everyone can do what they want. For Einstein to discover the limits of Newton`s laws, he first had to follow them until he understood how they didn`t work.

A teacher will only teach well if he embodies his subject, if he is himself a model. I owe my penchant for philosophy to my final year teacher, Mr. Laz (sadly deceased), who was an imitator and gave me an overall picture of a thought to pursue. Opposition is an important moment of imitation – probably its most important fruit. For memetic researchers, a potential contribution from Tarde has not yet been made, but it is hoped that this brief introduction to one of memetics` ancestors could serve as a creative stimulus for the “generative imitation” that will define our company. Tarde developed a theory of “imitation and suggestion” with which he tried to explain criminal behavior. He believed that the origins of deviance were similar to the origins of fashions and fashions, and that his “three laws of imitation” can explain why people commit crimes. Tarde`s second law of imitation – the law of subordinates imitating superiors – explains that the poor or young imitate the rich or the more experienced, and that crimes among the poor are actually their attempts to imitate the rich of high status. The third law – the law of insertion – states that new behaviors are superimposed on old ones, and then reinforce or erase previous behaviors. For example, if criminals start using a new type of weapon, they will no longer use the old one. Based on his view of the importance of the individual, Tarde analyzed human society, especially human progress, as the result of individuals engaging in relational behaviors based on the characteristics of each individual, usually illustrating one of three basic processes: “invention,” “imitation,” or “opposition.” For example, the invention requires a gifted individual in a favorable social context. Although Tarde`s work was generally not well received in France due to the predominance of Durkheim`s views, his work on imitation found relatively wide application in the field of criminology.

Tarde objected to the positivist criminology of Cesare Lombroso, who found that crime was inherited and that someone who was “born a criminal” could be identified by physical defects, and suggested that the social environment is crucial to both the development of criminal behavior and its control.