De-individuation Flashcards
What is the de-individuation theory of aggression?
Aggression occurs when an individual is part of a group or crowd. It states that aggression is more likely to happen when an individual experiences a loss of their sense of identity as the morals and beliefs that normally guide their behaviour are loosened and they adopt the morals of the group
What is an example of de individuation?
A football fan who gets involved in fights following a games. They may not show aggression for the rest of the week but they lose their identity when they become part of the crowd and act with uncharacteristic aggression
Who created the word de individuation?
Festinger et al
Who was de individuation first found by?
Le Bon
What did Le Bon do and find?
He looked at mob violence during the French Revolution and found that people who were unlikely to act with violence in everyday situations became capable of aggression when part of the mob. He felt that people lose their identity when part of the crowd as our normal moral code doesn’t apply
Who further refined de individuation?
Diener
What did Deiner suggest?
De individuation was mediated by self awareness. When someone is not in a crowd their self awareness acts as a regulator. However, in a crowd, it shifts the focus outwards and their self awareness declines
Who conducted the first study onto de individuation?
Zimbardo
What did Zimbardo do?
Conducted a study of college women who apparently gave painful electric shocks to another women. In condition one, the participants were made to feel totally anonymous by making them wear a lab coat, face hood and no names were used. In condition two, the participants were anything by anonymous by wearing no coats and hoods and all participants wore large name tags
What did Zimbardo find?
Participants in the first condition gave electric shocks for a longer duration than those in the second condition. This shows that participants who lost their identity were more likely to engage in aggressive behaviour
Who conducted the second study onto de individuation?
Deiner
What did Deiner do and find?
Studied 1300 children on trick or treat night in America. Children were far more likely to steal money and sweets when they wore costumes and were in large groups, which meant they couldn’t be recognised so supporting de individuation
What are two limitations of de individuation?
- Ingham argues that it’s not de individuation that causes football violence. Football supporters follow the rituals set within the group and its the norms that influence aggressive behaviour
- it can only explain aggression in specific contexts but aggression does however occur outside these contexts so there must be other explanations for aggression
What is a strengths of de individuation?
As it can occur in darkness, a practical application is to ensure that areas are well lit and this will give a sense of personal responsibility. CCTV can also have a similar effect
