Trust fall
Encyclopedia
A trust fall is a purported trust-building game often conducted as a group exercise in which a person deliberately allows themselves to fall, relying on the other members of the group (spotter
s) to catch the person. There are many variants of the trust fall. For instance, in one type, the group stands in a circle, with one person in the middle with arms folded against his chest and falls in various directions, being pushed by the group back to a standing position before falling again. A group member yells "double up!" if his own strength proves insufficient and immediate backup is needed to prevent the person from falling.
In another variant, a person stands on an elevated position (such as a stage, stepping stool or tree stump) and relying on multiple people to catch the person. This variant is potentially more dangerous and therefore it is all the more crucial to have the rest of the group in position and ready to catch him before he steps onto the platform. This type of trust fall was shown in the film Mean Girls
during the "attitude makeover" scene, and in season 4 of HBO drama The Wire
. Trust falls are frequently seen in ropes course
s.
Despite its name, there is no scientific evidence that the game builds any trust among participants.
In 2010 a Comedy Central
show named Tosh.0
introduced a new variant of trust falls known as "surprise trust falls", which involved the host Daniel Tosh approaching random people in public, shouting "Trust Fall!" and falling into said person.
Spotter
A spotter is someone trained to look for something. The term has the following special meanings.*Weather spotter, an individual who observes the weather to inform other groups.*Storm spotter, a weather spotter who observes specific weather events....
s) to catch the person. There are many variants of the trust fall. For instance, in one type, the group stands in a circle, with one person in the middle with arms folded against his chest and falls in various directions, being pushed by the group back to a standing position before falling again. A group member yells "double up!" if his own strength proves insufficient and immediate backup is needed to prevent the person from falling.
In another variant, a person stands on an elevated position (such as a stage, stepping stool or tree stump) and relying on multiple people to catch the person. This variant is potentially more dangerous and therefore it is all the more crucial to have the rest of the group in position and ready to catch him before he steps onto the platform. This type of trust fall was shown in the film Mean Girls
Mean Girls
Mean Girls is a 2004 American teen comedy-drama film directed by Mark Waters. The screenplay was written by Tina Fey and is based in part on the non-fiction book Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman, which describes how female high school social cliques operate and the effect they can have...
during the "attitude makeover" scene, and in season 4 of HBO drama The Wire
The WIRE
the WIRE is the student-run College radio station at the University of Oklahoma, broadcasting in a freeform format. The WIRE serves the University of Oklahoma and surrounding communities, and is staffed by student DJs. The WIRE broadcasts at 1710 kHz AM in Norman, Oklahoma...
. Trust falls are frequently seen in ropes course
Ropes course
A ropes course is a challenging outdoor personal development and team building activity which usually consists of high and/or low elements. Low elements take place on the ground or only a few feet above the ground...
s.
Despite its name, there is no scientific evidence that the game builds any trust among participants.
In 2010 a Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
show named Tosh.0
Tosh.0
Tosh.0 is an American television series hosted by comedian Daniel Tosh, who provides sarcastic commentary on online video clips, society, celebrities, and other parts of popular culture.-History:...
introduced a new variant of trust falls known as "surprise trust falls", which involved the host Daniel Tosh approaching random people in public, shouting "Trust Fall!" and falling into said person.