Lesson 8-Social psychological explanations of aggression-deindividuation

Question 1

Deindividuation

Answer 1

A psychological state in which an individual loses their personal identity and takes on the identity of a social group when for example in a crowd, uniform. The result may be a decreased concern about the evaluation of others
-Festinger: reduction of inner restraints of self-awareness where individuals are submerged in a group

Question 2

Crowd behaviour

Answer 2

-originally used by Gustave ale Bon (1985) to explain the behaviour of individuals in crowds
-usually, easily identified by others, behaviour is constrained by social norms, and, live in a society where most forms of aggression are discouraged
-when become part of a crowd, lost restraint and have freedom to behave how wouldn’t otherwise, lose sense of individual self-identity and responsibility, disregard norms and laws
-responsibility becomes shared throughout the crowd, experience less personal guilt about directing aggression
-used to explain violence in prisons and at sporting events where large numbers of people are in close proximity to each other

Question 3

Deindividuation and aggression

Answer 3

-Zimbardo (1969) distinguished between individuated and de-individuated behaviour
-individual state, behaviour is rational, normative, conforms to social norms
-de-individuated behaviours are emotional, impulsive, irrational, disinhibited, anti-normative
-de-individuated state, lose self awareness, stop monitoring and regulating their own behaviour, ignore social norms, failing to form long-term plans
-conditions of deindividuation which promote aggressive behaviour include darkness, drugs, alcohol, uniforms, masks, disguises

Question 4

Anonymity

Answer 4

-major factor in deindividuation
-Dixon and Mahendran (2012), ‘anonymity shapes crowd behaviour’
-less fear of retribution because small unidentifiable part of a faceless crowd, the bigger the crowd the more anonymous
-prevents negative judgement

Question 5

Reduced self awareness

Answer 5

-private self-awareness: concerns how we pay attention to our own feelings and behaviour, reduced when part of a crowd, attention becomes focused outwardly to the events around us so less attention on own beliefs and feelings, less self-critical, less thoughtful, promotes de-individuated state
-public self-awareness: how much we care about what other people think of our behaviour, reduced in crowds, realise we are just one individual amongst many, anonymous and behaviour is less likely to be judged, no longer care how others see us, become less accountable