De-individuation Flashcards
outline the deindividuation explanation of aggression
- deindividuation
Another social psychological explanation of aggression is de-individuation.
This has been defined as ‘a psychological state in which an individual loses their personal identity and takes on the identity of the social group’.
This occurs as a result of being in a large group or crowd or wearing a uniform.
The effect of this is to free the individual from the constraints of their sense of moral responsibility and social norms, thus making anti-social and aggressive behaviour more likely.
outline the deindividuation explanation of aggression
- factors affecting deindividuation
One factor contributing to de-individuation is anonymity (e.g. wearing a form of uniform or mask). This reduced a persons sense of identity so they may feel more enabled to complete aggressive acts without having to face the consequences.
Another factor is shared responsibility. For example, being in the agentic state (acting on behalf of an authority figure) or in a group collectively involved in a group (‘collective mindset’). This may lead to feeling less personally responsible for aggression.
Another factor is intoxication (e.g. drugs or alcohol) which reduces a person’s inhibitions as well as their sense of personal responsibility.
outline the deindividuation explanation of aggression
- Zimbarfo
Zimbardo argues that, in crowds of de-individuated people, there is less fear of negative consequences and a reduced sense of guilt as they take on the identity of the crowd rather than an individual identity.
In this sense, it is as if the moral responsibility shifts from the individual to the group, making aggression more likely.
An example of this may be in protests, such as the suffragettes movement.
evaluate the deindividuation explanation of aggression
- STRENGTHS
P) Support for de-individuation from Zimbardo’s (1969) hooded electric shock study
E) groups of four female undergraduates were asked to deliver electric shocks to another student to ‘aid learning’. Half wore hoods that hid their faces and were never referred to by name and half wore their normal clothes and were given large nametags
E) Participants in the de-individuated condition shocked ‘the learner’ for twice as long as the individuated participants.
L) suggests that aggressive acts are influenced by deindividuation since when a persons identity is hidden, their sense of responsibility is diminished
E) lab experiment - low external validity, demand characteristics, can’t generalise
P) support from Deiner (1976)
E) studies 1,300 children on Halloween night in America
E) children were far more likely to steal money and sweets (aggressive behaviour) when they wore costumes and were in large groups, which meant they could not be recognised and were anonymous
L) suggests that deindividuation can explain why children may show aggressive behaviour
E) field experiment - high external validity, can generalise
evaluate the deindividuation explanation of aggression
- LIMITATIONS
P) research has demonstrated that de-individuation can lead to pro-social rather than anti-social behaviour like aggression
E) Johnson and Downing (1979) found, in a replication of Zimbardo’s electric shock study, that participants shocked more than a control group when dressed like the Ku Klux Klan, but actually shocked less than controls when dressed in nurse uniforms.
L) suggests that aggressive behaviour is dependent upon the norms associated with the uniform as opposed to the uniforms themselves
P) fail to account for the role of biological factors in aggression
E) eg, it is possible that aggressive behaviour may be, at least in part, genetic. Brunner (1993): defective MAOA gene in a Dutch family with a history of male violence.
E) testosterone has been shown play an important role in determining aggressive behaviour.
L) social psychological explanations of aggression may be limited in the number of aggressive behaviours they can successfully explain on their own and other approaches may be needed to explain all cases of aggression.
P) suffers from androcentrism/gender bias
E) social psychological theories of aggression struggle to explain the higher level of aggression and violent crime in males.
E) eg although testosterone can explain higher levels of aggression in males as it is produced far more in men, it is unclear why males would be more affected by the deindividuation theory
L) other explanations may be required to explain gender differences in aggression.
