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The word is from Old English godsibb, from god and sibb, the term for godparents, i.e. a child's
godfather or godmother. In the 16th century, the word assumed the meaning of a person, mostly a
woman, one who delights in idle talk, a newsmonger, a tattler. In the early 19th century, the term was
extended from the talker to the conversation of such persons. The verb to gossip, meaning "to be a
gossip", first appears in Shakespeare.

Gossip is idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others. It forms one of the
oldest and most common means of sharing (unproven) facts and views, but also has a reputation for the
introduction of errors and other variations into the information transmitted. The term also carries
implications that the news so transmitted (usually) has personal or trivial nature, as opposed to
normal conversation.

In the last decade, gossip has been researched in terms of its evolutionary psychology origins. This has
found gossip is an important means by which people can monitor cooperative reputations and so
maintain widespread indirect reciprocity. Indirect reciprocity is defined here as "I help you and somebody
else helps me". Gossip has also been identified by Robin Dunbar an evolutionary biologist as aiding social
bonding in large groups.

The term is sometimes used to specifically refer to the spreading of dirt and misinformation, as (for
example) through excited discussion of scandals. Some newspapers carry "gossip columns" which detail
the social and personal lives of celebrities or of élite members of certain communities

Gossip is a broad term that is defined in several different ways. In general, gossip involves the creation
and repetition of rumors regarding an individual who is not present to offer his or her perspective on the
purported events under discussion. Generally, gossip has little or no basis in fact and is sometimes
intended to convey a negative image of an individual. This process of spreading rumors is utilized in just
about every setting from reporting on the movements of public figures to discussing situations involving
family, friends, and acquaintances.

It is not unusual for people who engage in the spreading of gossip to not consider themselves to be
gossips. The rationalization is that the individual is simply conveying information that was shared from
another source and thus is not the author of the data. Thus, he or she is not responsible for the reliability
of the information. Also, there may be no real malice behind the distribution of the rumor. This is often
the case when repeating a rumor about friends who are presumed to be going through a rough period
with a spouse, or there is speculation on why an acquaintance recently left a job

However, gossip is not always negative in content. It is possible to create and spread rumors about
rumored positive events or attributes of another person. For example, the word may begin to spread that
an individual is thinking about marrying someone that he or she has dated for some time. While the
rumor may in fact be considered good news to those that hear it, the information may not be factual and
could lead to negative consequences for the subject of the gossip.

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Essentially, gossip has its roots in speculation and conjecture about events or attributes of people rather
than focusing solely on facts that can be easily proved. Just about everyone engages in gossip in some
manner. Business associates may share gossip about people they work with. Neighbors may speculate on
details of the private lives of other people living in the neighborhood. Even well meaning friends may get
together and hash over what they think they know about a mutual friend who is not present. There is no
setting for human interaction that automatically precludes the potential for gossip. Gossip is spread
through verbal, print, and electronic communications.

While many forms of gossip are relatively innocuous, gossip has the potential to ruin lives and
reputations. For this reason, it is usually a good idea to double check all types of information regarding
other people before passing it on to another individual.

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In times of distress we lament, ƠWhy does it always happen to me However, in times of relative
prosperity do we ask ourselves ƠWhy me It is very human to feel we deserve Ơthe good all the time.
But it is our extreme arrogance that makes us feel the Ơbad times only happens to others. If we fail to
ask ourselves, ƠWhy do I deserve this blessing we forfeit the right ask, ƠWhy do I deserve this pain
Sorrow, just as much as happiness is a personal choice.

 


This is really pernicious. This is a deliberate and conscious effort to hurt another person borne out hatred,
ignorance or jealousy.

 
!

Remember that indulging in gossip gives fuel to another conversation some other time without you but
about you. Its a cycle that is easy to break. How bad can it be Well, would you want to be fodder for
gossip No, I dont think so.

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If you find yourself drawn into such conversations, examine your motivations and work on it. You cannot
control the other persons actions. But you can control yours.

If gossip starts, change the subject. Be open about being not willing to participate in gossip.

Choose alternative and constructive topics. Guide a conversation away from these pitfalls. You will be
remembered.

Be bold. Challenge the facts. Call the subject of the gossip to give their side - in the presence of the
gossip. You will lose a gossip and you will also gain a friend.

If it persists walk away and examine why you are surrounding yourself with these people. Be prepared
for a change of scenery. Youll be relieved of the burden.

Build. Do not destroy.

If you gravitate towards those people again and again you may have a problem. Seek professional help.

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Gossip can serve to:

reinforce, and punish the lack of, morality and accountability.

be used as a form of passive aggression, to isolate and harm others.

build a place for social grooming and a sense of community with shared interests, information and
values.
provide a courtship that helps one find decide on their desired mate, by counseling others.

provide a peer-to-peer mechanism for disseminating information in organizations.

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Mary Gormandy White, a human resource expert, identifies workplace gossip by factors or "signs":

Animated people become silent ("Conversations stop when you enter the room")

People begin staring at someone

Workers indulge in inappropriate topics of conversation. She suggests "five tips ... [to] handle the
situation with aplomb:

Rise above the gossip

Understand what causes or fuels the gossip

Do not participate in workplace gossip

Allow for the gossip to go away on its own

If it persists, "gather facts and seek help."

Peter Vajda identifies gossip as a form of workplace violence, noting that it is "essentially a form of
attack." Gossip is thought by many to "empower one person while disempowering another" (Hafen).
Accordingly, many companies have formal policies in their employee handbooks against
gossip. Sometimes there is room for disagreement on exactly what constitutes unacceptable gossip, since
workplace gossip may take the form of offhand remarks about someone's tendencies such as "He always
takes a long lunch," or "Dont worry, thats just how she is." TLK Healthcare cites as examples of gossip,
"tattletailing to the boss without intention of furthering a solution or speaking to co-workers about
something someone else has done to upset us." Corporate email can be a particularly dangerous method
of gossip delivery, as the medium is semi-permanent and messages are easily forwarded to unintended
recipients; accordingly, a Mass High Tech article advised employers to instruct employees against using
company email networks for gossip. Low self-esteem and a desire to "fit in" are frequently cited as
motivations for workplace gossip. There are five essential functions that gossip has in the workplace.

Helps individuals learn social information about other individuals in the organization (often without even
having to meet the other individual)

Builds social networks of individuals by bonding co-workers together and affiliating people with each
other.

Breaks existing bonds by ostracizing individuals within an organization.

Enhances one's social status/power/prestige within the organization.

Inform individuals as to what is considered socially acceptable behavior within the organization (DiFonzo
& Bordia).

According to Kurkland and Pelled, workplace gossip can be very serious depending upon the amount of
power that the gossiper has over the recipient, which will in turn affect how the gossip is interpreted.
There are four types of power that are influenced by gossip:

%& when a gossiper tells negative information about a person, their recipient might believe that
the gossiper will also spread negative information about them. This causes the gossipers coercive power
to increase.

 & when a gossiper tells positive information about a person, their recipient might believe that the
gossiper will also spread positive information about them. This causes the gossipers reward power to
increase.

$'(& when a gossiper seems to have very detailed knowledge of either the organization's values or
about others in the work environment, their expert power becomes enhanced.


& this power can either be reduced OR enhanced to a point. When people view gossiping as a
petty activity done to waste time, a gossipers referent power can decrease along with their reputation.
When a recipient is thought of as being invited into a social circle by being a recipient, the gossipers
referent power can increase, but only to a high point where then the recipient begins to resent the
gossiper (Kurland & Pelled).

Some negative consequences of workplace gossip may include:

Lost productivity and wasted time,

Erosion of trust and morale,

Increased anxiety among employees as rumors circulate without any clear information as to what is fact
and what isnt,

Growing divisiveness among employees as people Ơtake sides,"

Hurt feelings and reputations,

Jeopardized chances for the gossipers' advancement as they are perceived as unprofessional, and

Attrition as good employees leave the company due to the unhealthy work atmosphere.

Turner and Weed theorize that among the three main types of responders to workplace conflict are
attackers who cannot keep their feelings to themselves and express their feelings by attacking whatever
they can. Attackers are further divided into up-front attackers and behind-the-back attackers. Turner and
Weed note that the latter "are difficult to handle because the target person is not sure of the source of
any criticism, nor even always sure that there is criticism.

It is possible however, that there may be illegal, unethical, or disobedient behavior happening at the
workplace and this may be a case where reporting the behavior may be viewed as gossip. It is then left
up to the authority in charge to fully investigate the matter and not simply look past the report and
assume it to be workplace gossip. All illegal, unethical, or disobedient behavior that is reported to the
appropriate personnel should be taken seriously until otherwise proven innocent.

Informal networks through which communication occurs in an organization are sometimes called
the grapevine. In a study done by Harcourt, Richerson, and Wattier, it was found that middle managers
in several different organizations believed that gathering information from the grapevine was a much
better way of learning information than through formal communication with their subordinates (Harcourt,
Richerson & Wattier).

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Do not go about spreading slander among your people" (Lev. 19:16). "If anyone considers himself
religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is
worthless" (Jas. 1:26). "Men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word
they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned"
(Matt. 12:36, 37). Gossip can be a cruel weapon, one that is turned on friends and enemies alike. It is
completely against Gods standard of preserving unity and lifting one another up. It serves no purpose
but a selfish oneƜthere is no good result from gossip.

The gossiping person may be trying to look better by making the other person look bad. I have news:
that strategy never works that way. Anytime someone has talked badly to me about someone else, I
always wonder what that person says about me when I am not around and then I no longer trust that
person.

The most pathetic example of gossip that I have ever witnessed was in a Bible study. During prayer
request time, a woman asked for prayer for an absent group member. In the guise of a prayer request,
she gave some very personal, some would say juicy, details about this poor womans life. It was terrible.
As the leader of the group, I could only imagine that every woman would think that each time she wasnt
there, she would be the subject. I had to ask the gossiper to go to each member of the group and
apologize and promise that it would never happen again.

Gossip is so damaging. More damage can be done with the tongue than by any other means. Like our
mothers used to say, ƠIf you cant say something nice, dont say anything at all.
 Prepared by:

Palad, Charmis Krystel I.

BSN 3Y1-3

Submit to:

Mr. Robert Abella

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