A systems model of cynicism based on social theor

Webster's Dictionary defines a cynic as "a faultfinder; one who disbelieves in the goodness of human motives." Cynical attitudes and behaviors have been considered to be responsible for many social problems within families, communities, and organizations. And yet, in everyday conversations the label of "cynic" was applied to a wide range of attitudes and behaviors. The literature concerning cynicism does not offer any type of systemic model that could account for how or why cynicism developed or has been maintained. There are consequently, no suggestions for addressing cynicism from any systemic perspective. There is clearly a need for some type of "seed" theory that can relate all these individual relationships to one another in the creation of cynicism.;This dissertation proposes a social theory placed in a 3-dimensional pyramid model for why and how people generate cynicism in an effort to gain the perception of an internal locus of control.;The psychological and sociological literature concerning cynicism was reviewed in order to collect the pieces for the model of cynicism as a system. The psychological material provides the fundamental pieces and their relationships to cynicism. The sociological literature on the other hand provides a view into cynicism "in situ." Elements of social theory and concepts of social constructionist theory are employed to provide explanations for how cynical labels can be to applied situations and how they become institutionalized. Social constructionist theory provides support for how cynicism becomes social reality.;The social theory of cynicism is placed in a 3-dimensional tetrahedron model developed by Prasad Kaipa, Ph.D. The corners, edges, and faces of the pyramid represent critical elements of cynicism, relationships between those elements, and cynical dispositions created by combinations of corners with their related edges respectively.;The social theory proposed in this dissertation is intended to serve as a "seed" for inquiry into the complex and socially destructive concept we call "cynicism." It makes a serious attempt to bring elements together in relationship so that cynicism can be viewed as a dynamic system rather than a loosely defined static state.