William Wishart Biddle (June 19, 1900 – February 1973) was an American social scientist and a major contributor to the study of community development.
Biddle outlined in his writings that propaganda was a form of persuasion for coercing people, illustrating examples from times of war.
[4] Biddle defined and established various community development programs with a focus on environment, descriptive studies, politics, religion, and educational process.
His book The Community Development Process, written in collaboration with his wife Loureide J. Biddle, was translated into several languages.
His written work was consistent with the traditional American values of self help, fair play, and cooperation within the community.
[3] Whenever a propagandist is unable to keep themselves hidden, the focus of attention on the propaganda will start to shift towards the emotional ideas and desired conduct of the perceiver through the use of direct suggestions.
Biddle simply put this phenomenon as a tendency to believe that there is always an opposing force that has views directly averse to that of “we.”[3] Biddle argues that there are varied differences in how community development is defined due to differences in the types of programs used as a means to work with people.
[7] An example of a type of population served includes one’s own nation focusing on lowest to middle class backgrounds.
Biddle thinks that all approaches for the present are legitimate contributions, where each interpreter should state their own concepts, purposes, and even biases.
Each interpreter can then find their position in the grand scheme of community development, and learn from other peoples' experiences in contrast programs.
[7] Biddle gives his own definition of community development as a social process which focuses on personality growth through group responsibility.
Biddle argues that most interpreters give major attention to other objectives, saying that human development is basic citizen participation and achievement of local initiative.
Autistic thinking arises from two deficiencies in education: the lack of sufficient information taught in social fields and the inability to understand different points of view.
Biddle said that community agencies require cooperation in guiding youth to accomplish more effective occupational adjustments.
[9] Biddle argues that schools fail to carry out successful educational function without being greatly concerned of student’s vocational possibilities.
He also believes that employment services can not be effective without consistent interaction with schools for receiving pertinent information accumulated of youth.
It is traditionally defined as a frame of cultural subject-matter that is required for students to attain in order to be educated.
It also functionally gives a vocational emphasis which is conceived as merely an occupational skill and thus students graduate with a lack of background, sense of direction, and as an uncultured artisan.
[4] Biddle states that the purpose of general education is to close the gap between adolescence and adulthood and this can be accomplished by the students exploration of his own habits, potentialities, and familiarity with the community and social order.
[10] After Biddle’s death, a memorial fund was made in his honor at the University of Missouri where he presented his personal books and paper to the library.