Synonyms
Definition
The term “tall poppy” refers to a person of high status, elevated above their peers due to their achievement of fortune or fame and/or high levels of achievement.
Introduction
Their higher social position of “tall poppies” differentiates them from others within the social context. This label of “tall poppy” has a negative connotation and is largely used in a derogatory manner in Australia, in New Zealand, and to a lesser extent in the UK.
Tall Poppy Syndrome
The “tall poppy syndrome” refers to the social phenomenon of the desire to cut down such tall poppies (Feather 1989). This is closely tied with the egalitarian values of Australia where there is a belief that no Australian should assume that she/he is any better than other (Peeters 2004). Everyone in society should be of equal status, so the desire to cut down the tall poppy is in fact a desire to level the playing field.
The key scholar in the field of “tall...
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References
Dasborough, M., & Harvey, P. (2017). Schadenfreude: The (not so) secret joy of another’s misfortune. Journal of Business Ethics, 41(4), 693–707
Feather, N. T. (1989). Attitudes towards the high achiever: The fall of the tall poppy. Australian Journal of Psychology, 41(3), 239–267.
Feather, N. T. (1991). Attitudes towards the high achiever: Effects of perceiver’s own level of competence. Australian Journal of Psychology, 43(3), 121–124.
Feather, N. T. (1994). Attitudes toward high achievers and reactions to their fall: Theory and research concerning tall poppies. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 26, 1–73.
Feather, N. (2012). Tall poppies, deservingness and schadenfreude. Psychologist, 25(6), 434–437.
Feather, N., & McKee, I. (2014). Deservingness, liking relations, schadenfreude, and other discrete emotions in the context of the outcomes of plagiarism. Australian Journal of Psychology, 66(1), 18–27.
Feather, N. T., Volkmer, R. E., & McKee, I. R. (1991). Attitudes towards high achievers in public life: Attributions, deservingness, personality, and affect. Australian Journal of Psychology, 43(2), 85–91.
Funk, C. (2004). Female leaders in educational administration: Sabotage within our own ranks. Advancing Women in Leadership Journal, 17, 1–16.
Kirkwood, J. (2007). Tall poppy syndrome: Implications for entrepreneurship in New Zealand. Journal of Management & Organization, 13(04), 366–382.
Peeters, B. (2004). Tall poppies and egalitarianism in Australian discourse: From key word to cultural value. English World-Wide, 25(1), 1–25.
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Dasborough, M.T. (2017). Tall Poppy. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1467-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1467-1
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