deindivuation Flashcards
who suggested this
(Le Bon, 1895)
what is deindividuation
tendency for people to lose their inhibitions and their sense of personal identity when they are part of a crowd
what do they loose in this case
their autonomy and self awareness- responsibility for their actions and their moral compass becomes submerged with that of the group
whats a random example of this
football fan rioting with fellow fans after a match
whats a key word that describes what crowds give people
anonymity: it is much easier to act against character if someone is hidden in a crowd (this may explain why some people wear masks during riots or other crowd-led aggressive behaviour)
what are some key factors that may influence this
wearing of a uniform, acting in darkness, being in an altered state (drugs, alcohol), wearing a disguise
what are the 2 types of self awareness
private and public
what is private self awareness
individuals generally exercise this type of self-awareness as it involves constant self-monitoring e.g acting according to social/personal/cultural moral codes or norms
what is public self awareness
once an individual is part of a crowd their private self-awareness is reduced: they are less likely to be noticed (and thus judged) by others; they can break societal or cultural rules; they stop caring about how their behaviour would be perceived by others (as, presumably, everyone else is behaving badly too)
what is the afternamth of anymonity
Once an individual is not part of the crowd anymore e.g. they have gone home or they see someone they care about watching them then the effects of anonymity wear off and that person may be left with a sense of shame, guilt, even horror at what they have done
how may this relate to the internet
many opportunities for anonymity as people ‘hide’ behind usernames, avatars, false identities: being at a distance from people with whom one will probably never meet is akin to the feeling of being part of an anonymous crowd
