Question

Consider how being part of a crowd or group changes your behavior. How can deindividuation change people's behavior? Could deindividuation lead to positive outcomes? What is a way to encourage members of a crowd to behave in line with their "normal" values?

Answer 1

Social life’s implies that human beings can influence and are also influenced by the presence of others. Much of what social psychologists study is relation to the influence of groups and crowds on the behaviour of a single individual. For instance, behaviours such as conformity to group norms, or compliance with the group and others are instances of social influence on our thoughts and behaviour. However, other than organised groups that is an assemblage of like minded individuals who work towards an identified common goal, individual behaviour can also be determined by membership to a random crowds which can be defined as a gathering of people towards a purpose. According to the contagion theory of crowd behaviour (Lebon, 1895), individuals are more prone to respond to their primal instincts of aggression when they are a part of a crowd because they feel a sense of anonymity in the group and feel less responsible for their individual action and instead reason that they are working as an instrument of the group norms. Thus, they can be more easily stirred to react in emotionally extreme ways than they would as separat, singular agents in the social environment.

A second view is proposed by the convergence theory according to which people find strength in numbers and they want to work towards a common goal, they may find it easier to achieve the task in a collective action than as isolated individuals.

However, a contrary view is presented by the Emergent norm theory of crowd behaviour according to which crowds influence behaviour of individuals not towards a violation of norms but towards finding and establishing a new order of norms which would be more functional in the chaotic and changed structure of the society. According to this view, crowds are not led towards an anarchist, destructive I.e. a norm-less state, rather a crowd is nontheless organised but it is geared towards a different ethic and they formulate a new way of functioning through a weak sand unconventional of norms.

Thus,all these explanations help to understand how crowds influence behaviour individuals especially with respect aheightened consciousnesses about one’s group affiliations and a diminished self-awareness or deindividuation. In social psychology, the term deindividuation is used to refer to a diminishing of one's sense of individuality to the extent that the individual’s behaviour gets split from his/her personal or social standard of conduct. In this sense, deindividuation causes a greater disinhibition and negative impulsive tendencies in crowd behaviour. It therefore cannot lead to positive outcomes. A way to encourage individuals to behave in line with their regular or ‘normal’ values would be to increase a sense of individuation or responsibility for their own actions in the group and keep a check on any rising feeling of deindividuation,