Wiktionary

allocentric

English

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Etymology

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The adjective is derived from allo- (prefix meaning ‘different; other’) +‎ -centric (suffix meaning ‘having a specified object at the centre, or as the focus of attention’).[1] Sense 3 (‘of a tourist: tending to be adventurous’) was coined by the American travel researcher Stanley C. Plog in a paper presented to the Southern California Chapter of the Travel Research Association on 10 October 1972, which was later published in February 1974.[2]

The noun is probably derived from the adjective.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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allocentric (comparative more allocentric, superlative most allocentric) (psychology)

  1. Concerned with the interests of others more than one's own; community-minded. [from early 20th c.]
    Synonyms: altruistic, exocentric, generous, geocentric, selfless
    Antonyms: autocentric, egocentric, idiocentric, self-absorbed, self-centered, selfish
  2. Of spatial representations: linked to a reference frame based on the external environment and independent of one's current location in it (for example, giving a direction as "north" as opposed to "right").
  3. (also tourism) Of a tourist: tending to be adventurous and preferring novel and unfamiliar experiences.
    Coordinate terms: midcentric, psychocentric
    • 1995, Robert Madrigal, “Personal Values, Traveler Personality Type, and Leisure Travel Style”, in Journal of Leisure Research‎[1], volume 27, number 2, Arlington, Va.: National Recreation and Park Association, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 14 August 2021, page 128:
      [Stanley C.] Plog (1974, 1990, 1991b) delineated personality types along a continuum ranging from allocentrism to psychocentrism. The psychocentric personality type tends toward territory boundedness, insecurity, and powerlessness. Psychocentric individuals also tend to have non-active lifestyles and are non-adventurous. In contrast, allocentric individuals tend to be self-confident, intellectually curious, and feel in control of their lives.
    • 1999, K. K. Sharma, “Tourism Psychology and Motivation”, in Tourism and Culture, New Delhi: Prabhat Kumar Sharma for Sarup & Sons, published 2004, →ISBN, page 189:
      [P]sychocentrics could conceivably vacation in essentially allocentric destinations (with the exception of people with extremely low incomes). For instance, a psychocentric may travel to a remote area under the security of a completely planned, fully escorted tour.
    • 2003, “Tourism Motivation and Behaviour”, in Berendien Lubbe, editor, Tourism Management in Southern Africa, Cape Town, Western Cape: Pearson Education South Africa, published 2005, →ISBN, part 2 (The Demand for Tourism), page 38, column 2:
      Remember that whether a tourist is more psychocentric or more allocentric depends on the different motivations and the different destinations chosen by the tourist. The tourist may also oscillate between both psychocentric and allocentric choices. For example, a tourist may choose an allocentric holiday in December to a remote game reserve, but have a psychocentric short break in July to Singapore, where he or she may prefer a package tour and will stick to the touristy areas of town.
    • 2020, J. Christopher Holloway, Claire Humphreys, “The Demand for Tourism”, in The Business of Tourism, 11th edition, London, Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE Publications, →ISBN, part 1 (Defining and Analysing Tourism and Its Impacts), page 75:
      [Stanley C.] Plog recognised that personalities change over time, and given time, the psychocentrics may become allocentric in their choice of holiday destination and activity as they gain experience of travel.
    • 2020, Peter Robinson, Michael Lück, Stephen L. J. Smith, “Responsible Tourism Management”, in Tourism, 2nd edition, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, Boston, Mass.: CABI, →ISBN, part 5 (Tourism Development), page 366, column 1:
      At the one extreme, psychocentrics are those travellers that are not adventurous, and seek amenities and culture similar to their home environment. At the other end of the continuum, an allocentric tourist is very adventurous, seeks and embraces different cultures, local food, and requires only basic tourism infrastructure.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Noun

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allocentric (plural allocentrics)

  1. (psychology, tourism) A tourist who tends to be adventurous and to prefer novel and unfamiliar experiences.
    Coordinate terms: midcentric, psychocentric
    • 1995, Robert Madrigal, “Personal Values, Traveler Personality Type, and Leisure Travel Style”, in Journal of Leisure Research‎[2], volume 27, number 2, Arlington, Va.: National Recreation and Park Association, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 14 August 2021, page 128:
      According to [Stanley C.] Plog (1991b), psychocentrics tend to prefer a high degree of familiarity in their travel and, as a result, enjoy group or "packaged" tours. In contrast, allocentrics enjoy vacations to exotic and unique destinations, and prefer to travel independently (i.e., not as part of group tours).
    • [2001, Doris S. Davidoff, Philip G. Davidoff, Donald M. Davidoff, Douglas G. Davidoff, “The Classic Motivation Mistake”, in Parenting the Office, Gretna, New Orleans, La.: Pelican Publishing Company, →ISBN, page 209:
      Simply put, psychocentrics are at ease only when within their comfort zone, while allocentrics are driven to leave their comfort zone on a regular basis.
      Applied in an employment context.]
    • 2020, Peter Robinson, Michael Lück, Stephen L. J. Smith, “Responsible Tourism Management”, in Tourism, 2nd edition, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, Boston, Mass.: CABI, →ISBN, part 5 (Tourism Development), page 366, column 1:
      Another typology of tourists was introduced by [Stanley C.] Plog (1991), who used psychographic analysis to create a continuum of tourist types. While Plog's model is a continuum with indefinite points, he was able to divide tourists into five main groups: psychocentrics, near psychocentrics, midcentrics, near allocentrics, and allocentrics.

Translations

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References

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  1. ^ “allocentric, adj.”, in OED Online  ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, June 2018; “allocentric, adj.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
  2. ^ Stanley C. Plog (1974 February) “Why Destination Areas Rise and Fall in Popularity”, in Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, volume 14, number 4, Ithaca, N.Y.: School of Hotel Administration, Cornell University, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, pages 55–58.

Further reading

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