gapology

n. the study or discussion of marked differences between groups, viewpoints, or situations. Also, gapologist, a person who studies such differences. Subjects: English, Politics

Etymological Note: Gap ‘a conspicuous disparity or difference (between two things)’ + -ology ‘study of’

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Citations: 1968 H.B.G. Casimir New York Times (Jan. 8) “Gapology, Both Scientific and Managerial, a Cause for Concern in Europe” p. C143: It is easy to be flippant about all this gapology, and most of it deserves no better. 1977 William Greider, J.P. Smith Washington Post (July 24) “Fuels Crisis a Matter of Perception” p. A1: The idea of a “gap” or an impending “crisis” has its political uses—goading the public to do things it might not wish to do—but there are numerous skeptics who think it is a bogus concept. “Gapology,” they call it. These include neutral experts, economists and social thinkers, who have no allegiance to the oil industry but who think the dynamic of price-and-profit will prove stronger than government edicts. 1983 Russell Baker New York Times (June 18) “The Gap’s Progress”: As a student of gapology, I was both thrilled and puzzled by the sudden appearance of the gender gap.…As a gapologist, I enjoyed seeing the upstart science of fenestrology embarrassed. Still, things were distressingly quiet on the gap front until suddenly the gender gap appeared. 2006 Peter Steinfels New York Times (Dec. 9) “In Politics, the ‘God Gap’ Overshadows Other Differences”: There is enough thinking about these many divisions among voters that some political scientists have even begun to write about “gapology.”

Posted 13 Dec 06 | Permalink | Tell a Friend