NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Crowd psychology

Crowd psychology is a branch of social psychology. Ordinary people can typically gain direct power by acting collectively. Historically, because large groups of people have been able to affect dramatic and sudden social change in a manner that bypasses established due process, they have also provoked controversy. Social scientists have developed several different theories for explaining crowd psychology, and the ways in which the psychology of the crowd differs significantly from the psychology of those individuals within it. Carl Jung coined the notion of the Collective unconscious. Other major thinkers of crowd psychology include Gustave Le Bon, Wilfred Trotter, Gabriel Tarde, Sigmund Freud and Elias Canetti. Image File history File links Emblem-important. ... The scope of social psychological research. ... In sociology, a group is usually defined as a collection of humans or animals, who share certain characteristics, interact with one another, accept expectations and obligations as members of the group, and share a common identity. ... In United States law, adopted from English Law, due process (more fully due process of law) is the principle that the government must normally respect all of a persons legal rights instead of just some or most of those legal rights when the government deprives a person of life... A throng of people returning from a show of fireworks spill in to the street stopping traffic at the intersection of Fulton Street and Gold Street in Lower Manhattan. ... Psychological science redirects here. ... Jung redirects here. ... Collective unconscious is a term of analytical psychology originally coined by Carl Jung. ... Gustave Le Bon (May 7, 1841 â€“ December 13, 1931) was a French social psychologist, sociologist, and amateur physicist. ... Wilfred Trotter (1872-1939) was a British surgeon, a pioneer in neurosurgery. ... Gabriel Tarde (March 12, 1843 in Dordogne, France â€“ May 13, 1904 in Paris) French sociologist and social psychologist who conceived sociology as based on small psychological interactions among individuals (much as if it were chemistry), the fundamental forces being imitation and innovation. ... Sigmund Freud (IPA: ), born Sigismund Schlomo Freud (May 6, 1856 â€“ September 23, 1939), was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist who founded the psychoanalytic school of psychology. ... Elias Canetti, Nobel Laureate in Literature Canettis tomb-stone in ZÃ¼rich, Switzerland Elias Canetti (Rousse, Bulgaria, 25 July 1905 â€“ 14 August 1994, Zurich) was a Bulgaria-born novelist of Sephardi Jewish ancestry who wrote in German and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1981. ...

A LARGE CROWD; Also known as Hundreds & Thousands. This term was introduced to Kerry by Jackie Healy Rae. Eoghan O'Sullivan later stole this term to describe the multicoloured bits of ball dust that are commonly used on fairy cakes. Some might say that Eoghan O'Sullivan borrowed the term Hundreds and THousands, however he never gave it back again so I reckon he nicked it!

Theories of crowd psychology

Classical theories

The main idea of Sigmund Freud's crowd behavior theory is that people who are in a crowd act differently towards people than those who are thinking individually. The minds of the group would merge together to form a way of thinking. Each member's enthusiasm would be increased as a result, and one becomes less aware of the true nature of one's actions.

Le Bon’s idea that crowds foster anonymity and sometimes generate emotion has become somewhat of a cliché. Yet, it has been contested by some critics, such as Clark McPhail who points out that some studies show that "the madding crowd" does not take on a life of its own, apart from the thoughts and intentions of members. Norris Johnson, after investigating a panic at a 1979 Who concert concluded that the crowd was composed of many small groups of people mostly trying to help each other. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Who are an English rock band that first formed in 1964, and grew to be considered one of the greatest[1] and most influential[2] bands in the world. ...

However, it must be noted that if Le Bon often referred to the cliché of the irrational crowd, which was current in the 19th century and before (in particular in the fields of criminology, which tended to describe crowds as irrational and criminal groups), he considered himself the founder of "crowd psychology". Thus, he didn't consider crowds as totally irrational, but simply thought that ordinary individualist psychology wasn't relevant to this phenomenon. Le Bon was a pioneer in propaganda, which he considered a suitable and rational technique for managing groups, using for example communal reinforcement of beliefs, etc. Le Bon's 1895 The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind influenced many 20th century figures, including Adolf Hitler, whose Mein Kampf insisted on Le Bon's work.^[1] Criminology is the scientific study of crime as an individual and social phenomenon. ... For other uses, see Propaganda (disambiguation). ... Communal reinforcement is a social phenomenon in which a concept or idea is repeatedly asserted in a community, regardless of whether sufficient empirical evidence has been presented to support it. ... Hitler redirects here. ... Mein Kampf (English translation: My Struggle) is a book by the German-Austrian politician Adolf Hitler, which combines elements of autobiography with an exposition of Hitlers National Socialist political ideology. ...

Wilfred Trotter, an English surgeon, wrote similarly, becoming famous for his book Instincts of the Herd in Peace and War. He introduced Wilfred Bion with whom he lived and worked, to the ideas of Sigmund Freud, and would later become personal physician to Freud. Wilfred Bion, and Ernest Jones, who also worked for Trotter, became influential figures in the British Psychoanalytic movement, and Bion who wrote a collection of papers on Experiences in Groups said that he was much influenced by Trotter. Wilfred Trotter (1872-1939) was a British surgeon, a pioneer in neurosurgery. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Sigmund Freud (IPA: ), born Sigismund Schlomo Freud (May 6, 1856 â€“ September 23, 1939), was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist who founded the psychoanalytic school of psychology. ...

Sigmund Freud would criticize Le Bon's concept of "collective soul". collective unconscious, asserting that crowds do not have a soul of their own, nor do specific ethnic groups have a Volkgeist. Rather, individuals identify themselves to their leaders through their own "ideal ego" (that is, their subjective representation of their leader). The Freudian concept of an "ideal ego" later became the super-ego. Ultimately, leaders themselves identify themselves to an idea. Sigmund Freud (IPA: ), born Sigismund Schlomo Freud (May 6, 1856 â€“ September 23, 1939), was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist who founded the psychoanalytic school of psychology. ... Collective unconscious is a term of analytical psychology originally coined by Carl Jung. ... Geist - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Identification can mean The act of identifying. ... This article is in need of attention. ... This article or section may be confusing or unclear for some readers, and should be edited to rectify this. ... IDEA may refer to: Electronic Directory of the European Institutions IDEA League Improvement and Development Agency Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Indian Distance Education Association Integrated Data Environments Australia Intelligent Database Environment for Advanced Applications IntelliJ IDEA - a Java IDE Interactive Database for Energy-efficient Architecture International IDEA (International Institute...

Theodor Adorno criticized the belief in a spontaneity of the masses: according to him, the masses were an artificial product of "administrated" modern life. The Ego of the bourgeois subject dissolved itself, giving way to the Id and the "de-psychologized" subject. Furthermore, the bond linking the masses to the leader through the spectacle, as fascism displayed in its public representations, is feigned: "When the leaders become conscious of mass psychology and take it into their own hands, it ceases to exist in a certain sense... Just as little as people believe in the depth of their hearts that the Jews are the devil, do they completely believe in their leader. They do not really identify themselves with him but act this identification, perform their own enthusiasm, and thus participate in their leader's performance... It is probably the suspicion of this fictitiousness of their own 'group psychology' which makes fascist crowds so merciless and unapproachable. If they would stop to reason for a second, the whole performance would go to pieces, and they would be left to panic."^[2] Max Horkheimer (front left), Theodor Adorno (front right), and JÃ¼rgen Habermas in the background, right, in 1965 at Heidelberg. ... Italian fascism (in Italian, fascismo) was the authoritarian political movement which ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943 under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. ...

Edward Bernays (1891 – 1995), nephew of psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, was considered the father of the field of public relations. Bernays was one of the first to attempt to manipulate public opinion using the psychology of the subconscious. He felt this manipulation was necessary in society, which he felt was irrational and dangerous. Cover of Bernays 1928 book, Propaganda. ...

Convergence theory

Convergence theory holds that crowd behavior is not a product of the crowd itself, but is carried into the crowd by particular individuals. Thus, crowds amount to a convergence of like-minded individuals. In other words, while contagion theory states that crowds cause people to act in a certain way, convergence theory says the opposite: that people who wish to act in a certain way come together to form crowds.

An example of convergence theory states that there is no homogeneous activity within a repetitive practice, sometimes observed when an immigrant population becomes common in a previously homogeneous area, and members of the existing community (apparently spontaneously) band together to threaten those trying to move into their neighborhoods. In such cases, convergence theorists contend, the crowd itself does not generate racial hatred or violence; rather, the hostility has been simmering for some time among many local people. A crowd then arises from convergence of people who oppose the presence of these neighbors. Convergence theory claims that crowd behavior as such is not irrational; rather, people in crowds express existing beliefs and values so that the mob reaction is the rational product of widespread popular feeling. This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Value is a term that expresses the concept of worth in general, and it is thought to be connected to reasons for certain practices, policies or actions. ...

Emergent-norm theory

Ralph Turner and Lewis Killian developed the emergent-norm theory of crowd dynamics. These researchers concede that social behavior is never entirely predictable, but neither are crowds irrational. If similar interests may draw people together, distinctive patterns of behavior may emerge in the crowd itself. Crowds begin as collectivities, acting, and protest crowds – norms may be vague and changing as when, say, one person at a rock concert holds up a lit cigarette lighter to signal praise for the performers, followed by others. In short, people in crowds make their own rules as they go along.

Decision-making, then, plays a major role in crowd behavior, although casual observers of a crowd may not realize it. Crowd behavior reflects the desires of participants, but it is also guided by norms that emerge as the situation unfolds. Emergent-norm theory points out that people in a crowd take on different roles. Some step forward as leaders; others become lieutenants, rank-and-file followers, inactive bystanders or even opponents. Each Member in the crowd plays a significant role.

Defense mechanism

Another form of crowd behavior is where a large group of people become subservient and become almost totally obedient in the face of great danger and even death, even when this listless behavior allows others to harm and kill them easily. This is a strange contradiction to a person's normal instinctive resistance to anything that might harm or kill them. It usually occurs in crowds that are being held captive and have been under a great deal of stress and fear for prolonged periods of time. It was seen during the Holocaust with people in concentration camps allowing themselves to be led to their deaths without resisting. ^{[citation needed]} The theory behind this behavior is that when faced with an imminent threat individuals in a crowd will try and become invisible within the group to become anonymous. The reason for doing this is an unconscious hope of staying unnoticed by the people issuing the threat, thus allowing them to survive. It can be compared to herd behavior in animals and school behavior in fish. It relies heavily on the fact that humans are essentially still herd animals and that they have an instinct to use the great numbers in a group to hide themselves within it to lessen the chance that they will be singled out and killed by a predator. The people within the crowd will become extremely obedient to their captors in order to avoid being detected. It has proven to be a dangerous form of behavior that allows large numbers of people to be killed with little resistance. For other uses, see Holocaust (disambiguation) and Shoah (disambiguation). ... A concentration camp is a large detention centre created for political opponents, aliens, specific ethnic or religious groups, civilians of a critical war-zone, or other groups of people, often during a war. ...

References

Biography Serge Moscovici was one of Europes most prominent social psychologists. ... Fayard (complete name Librairie ArthÃ¨me Fayard) is a French Paris-based publishing house established in 1857. ... Max Horkheimer (front left), Theodor Adorno (front right), and JÃ¼rgen Habermas in the background, right, in 1965 at Heidelberg. ... Routledge is an imprint for books in the humanities part of the Taylor & Francis Group, which also has Brunner-Routledge, RoutledgeCurzon and RoutledgeFalmer divisions. ...

Bibliography

Among the Thugs: The Experience, and the Seduction, of Crowd Violence is a work of journalism written by Bill Buford in 1990 documenting football hooliganism in the United Kingdom. ... Elias Canetti, Nobel Prize Laureate in Literature Elias Canetti (Ruse 25 July 1905- Zurich, 13 August 1994) was a Bulgarian-born British-Austrian novelist and Nobel Prize in Literature winner, who wrote in German. ... Ã‰tienne de La BoÃ©tie (Sarlat, November 1st, 1530 - Germignan, August 18, 1563) was a French judge and writer, friend of Montaigne, author of the Discourse of Voluntary Servitude (Discours de la servitude volontaire). ... Murray Newton Rothbard (March 2, 1926 â€“ January 7, 1995) was an influential American economist, historian and natural law theorist belonging to the Austrian School of Economics who helped define modern libertarianism. ... Gustave Le Bon (May 7, 1841 â€“ December 13, 1931) was a French social psychologist, sociologist, and amateur physicist. ... Charles Mackay (1814 â€“ 1889) was a British poet, journalist, and song writer. ... Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds is a popular history of popular folly by Charles Mackay, first published in 1841. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Biography Serge Moscovici was one of Europes most prominent social psychologists. ... Academic Press (London, New York and San Diego) was an academic book publisher that is now part of Elsevier. ... Fayard (complete name Librairie ArthÃ¨me Fayard) is a French Paris-based publishing house established in 1857. ... Gustave Le Bon (May 7, 1841 â€“ December 13, 1931) was a French social psychologist, sociologist, and amateur physicist. ... Gabriel Tarde (March 12, 1843 in Dordogne, France â€“ May 13, 1904 in Paris) French sociologist and social psychologist who conceived sociology as based on small psychological interactions among individuals (much as if it were chemistry), the fundamental forces being imitation and innovation. ... Howard Rheingold at the Ars Electronica in 2004 Howard Rheingold (born July 7, 1947) is a leading thinker and writer on the cultural, social and political implications of modern communications media such as the Internet, mobile telephony and virtual communities (a term he is credited with inventing). ... A smart mob is a form of self-structuring social organization through technology-mediated, intelligent emergent behavior. The concept was introduced by Howard Rheingold in his book Smart Mobs: The Next Social Revolution. ... Wilhelm Reich (March 24, 1897 â€“ November 3, 1957) was an Austrian psychiatrist and psychoanalyst. ... James Surowiecki James Michael Surowiecki (b. ... The Wisdom of Crowds: Why the Many Are Smarter Than the Few and How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economies, Societies and Nations, first published in 2004, is a book written by James Surowiecki about the aggregation of information in groups, resulting in decisions that, he argues, are often better than... Gabriel Tarde (March 12, 1843 in Dordogne, France â€“ May 13, 1904 in Paris) French sociologist and social psychologist who conceived sociology as based on small psychological interactions among individuals (much as if it were chemistry), the fundamental forces being imitation and innovation. ... Wilfred Trotter (1872-1939) was a British surgeon, a pioneer in neurosurgery. ... THE GURKHA SOLDIER Bravest of the brave, most generous of the generous, never had country more faithful friends Professor Sir Ralph Turner MC Sir Ralph Lilley Turner MC (5 October 1888â€“22 April 1983) was an English Indian languages philologist and university administrator. ...

See also

Categories: Articles with unsourced statements since September 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since October 2007 | Group processes | Political philosophy | Social philosophy | Social psychology | Collective intelligence | Crowd psychology Bread and circuses has come to be a derogatory phrase that can criticize either government policies to pacify the citizenry, or the shallow, decadent desires of that same citizenry. ... Jung redirects here. ... For other uses, see Charisma (disambiguation). ... The term collective behavior was first used by Robert E. Park, and employed definitively by Herbert Blumer, to refer to social processes and events which do not reflect existing social structure (laws, conventions, and institutions), but which emerge in a spontaneous way. ... Collective effervescence (CE) is a perceived energy formed by a gathering of people as might be experienced at a sporting event, a carnival, or a riot. ... Collective hysteria, or mass hysteria, is the sociopsychological phenomenon of the manifestation of the same hysterical symptoms by more than one person. ... The French social theorist Ã‰mile Durkheim (1858-1917) used the term collective consciousness in his The Rules of Sociological Method (1895), Suicide (1897), and The Elementary Forms of Religious Life (1912). ... Georg LukÃ¡cs (April 13, 1885 â€“ June 4, 1971) was a Hungarian Marxist philosopher and literary critic in the tradition of Western Marxism. ... Class consciousness is a category of Marxist theory, referring to the self-awareness of a social class, its capacity to act in its own rational interests, or measuring the extent to which an individual is conscious of the historical tasks their class (or class allegiance) sets for them. ... Collective unconscious is a term of analytical psychology originally coined by Carl Jung. ... Communal reinforcement is a social phenomenon in which a concept or idea is repeatedly asserted in a community, regardless of whether sufficient empirical evidence has been presented to support it. ... he This article is about the psychological concept of conformity. ... The Wisdom of Crowds: Why the Many Are Smarter Than the Few and How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economies, Societies and Nations, first published in 2004, is a book written by James Surowiecki about the aggregation of information in groups, resulting in decisions that, he argues, are often better than... The Elliott wave theory is the basis of a technical analysis technique for predicting the behavior and market trends in the stock market, invented by Ralph Nelson Elliott in 1939. ... Cover of Bernays 1928 book, Propaganda. ... Gabriel Tarde (March 12, 1843 in Dordogne, France â€“ May 13, 1904 in Paris) French sociologist and social psychologist who conceived sociology as based on small psychological interactions among individuals (much as if it were chemistry), the fundamental forces being imitation and innovation. ... Gustave Le Bon (May 7, 1841 â€“ December 13, 1931) was a French social psychologist, sociologist, and amateur physicist. ... The scope of social psychological research. ... Group behaviour in sociology refers to the situations where large number of people in a given area behave simoultanesly in similar way and have a similar goal, but they individaully and without coordiantion. ... Groupthink is a type of thought exhibited by group members who try to minimize conflict and reach consensus without critically testing, analyzing, and evaluating ideas. ... It has been suggested that Herding instinct be merged into this article or section. ... A social tendency in humans to identify with and model many behaviors and beliefs after a larger group of individuals with whom they identify. ... A hive mind (sometimes spelled hivemind) is a form of collective consciousness strongly exhibiting traits of conformity and groupthink. ... The term Large Group Awareness Training (or LGAT) refers to training offered by some groups in what is often referred to as the human potential movement. ... A hive mind (sometimes spelled hivemind) is a form of collective consciousness strongly exhibiting traits of conformity and groupthink. ... Nazism in history Nazi ideology Nazism and race Outside Germany Related subjects Lists Politics Portal Nazism or National Socialism (German: Nationalsozialismus), refers primarily to the ideology and practices of the Nazi Party (National Socialist German Workers Party, German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP) under Adolf Hitler. ... Fascism is an authoritarian political ideology (generally tied to a mass movement) that considers individual and other societal interests subordinate to the interests of the state. ... The Nuremberg Rally (officially, Reichsparteitag, meaning national party convention) was the annual rally of the NSDAP (Nazi Party) in the years 1923 to 1938 in Germany. ... In either anime or manga media variation of Shaman King, Over Soul ) is the general term referring to a type of shamanic magic a shaman uses to materialize a ghost onto the physical plane. ... Social proof, aka informational social influence, is a psychological phenomenon which occurs in ambiguous social situations when people are unable to determine the appropriate mode of behavior. ... Look up Zeitgeist in Wiktionary, the free dictionary (helpÂ· info) is originally a German expression that means the spirit (Geist) of the time (Zeit). It denotes the intellectual and cultural climate of an era. ... Wilfred Trotter (1872-1939) was a British surgeon, a pioneer in neurosurgery. ...

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