ABSTRACT
During the early years of the Second World War, when he undertook the task of changing the food habits of the American Family, Kurt Lewin used the term "gatekeeper" to describe the person who makes the critical decision on whether an item is "in" or "out." Some gatekeepers may simply apply the appropriate rubber stamps to the appropriate papers in the manner of customs inspectors, but others acquire a sense of personal commitment to and responsibility for the bureaucracy. A potential applicant for public housing must make a personal appearance at the application office, where he is provided with a check-list of documents and items of information required before a formal application can be made. The criteria of desirability are implicit in the gatekeeper's discussions of "desirable" and "undesirable" applicants. The criterion of demeanor is more subjective than either race or family constellation. The gatekeeper perceives ultimate power over the bureaucracy to lie outside of it in the political realm.
