con·form·i·ty/kənˈfôrmitē/
| Noun: |
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Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Conformity
Mob Mentality
The term “mob mentality” is used to refer to unique behavioral characteristics which emerge when people are in large groups.
When used in a pejorative sense, the term implies a group of people which has gotten out of control.
Example:
In a news story about a store sale at which people were trampled, the journalist might use “mob mentality” to describe the selfish behavior of the people who attended the sale. Such stories illustrate the desperate actions which people will involve themselves in during a period of resource competition; people may mob trucks with relief supplies, trample each other at big box stores, or riot in the streets in response to resource scarcity or a perceived scarcity.
However, “mob mentality” is about more than just crowds which have gotten out of control. The field of psychology is very interested in the ways in which human behavior change in response to new social situations. People behave very differently in small groups of individuals than they do in big crowds, for example, and their behavior in crowds is affected by a wide variety of factors.
The study of crowds has also been used to study grim topics like the rise of antisemitism in Germany under Hitler, the riots between Muslims and Hindus which broke out when India was partitioned, and the genocide which took place in Rwanda in 1994.
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-mob-mentality.htm
When people are part of a group, they often experience deindividuation, or a loss of self-awareness. When people deindividuate, they are less likely to follow normal restraints and inhibitions and more likely to lose their sense of individual identity. Groups can generate a sense of emotional excitement, which can lead to the provocation of behaviors that a person would not typically engage in if alone.
Example: Think about the last sporting event or concert you attended. It’s unlikely that you would have been yelling or singing the way you were if you were the only person doing it! The group seems to make some behaviors acceptable that would not be acceptable otherwise.
But, this does not happen all the time obviously.
http://source.southuniversity.edu/examining-the-mob-mentality-31395.aspx
When used in a pejorative sense, the term implies a group of people which has gotten out of control.
Example:
In a news story about a store sale at which people were trampled, the journalist might use “mob mentality” to describe the selfish behavior of the people who attended the sale. Such stories illustrate the desperate actions which people will involve themselves in during a period of resource competition; people may mob trucks with relief supplies, trample each other at big box stores, or riot in the streets in response to resource scarcity or a perceived scarcity.
However, “mob mentality” is about more than just crowds which have gotten out of control. The field of psychology is very interested in the ways in which human behavior change in response to new social situations. People behave very differently in small groups of individuals than they do in big crowds, for example, and their behavior in crowds is affected by a wide variety of factors.
The study of crowds has also been used to study grim topics like the rise of antisemitism in Germany under Hitler, the riots between Muslims and Hindus which broke out when India was partitioned, and the genocide which took place in Rwanda in 1994.
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-mob-mentality.htm
When people are part of a group, they often experience deindividuation, or a loss of self-awareness. When people deindividuate, they are less likely to follow normal restraints and inhibitions and more likely to lose their sense of individual identity. Groups can generate a sense of emotional excitement, which can lead to the provocation of behaviors that a person would not typically engage in if alone.
Example: Think about the last sporting event or concert you attended. It’s unlikely that you would have been yelling or singing the way you were if you were the only person doing it! The group seems to make some behaviors acceptable that would not be acceptable otherwise.
But, this does not happen all the time obviously.
http://source.southuniversity.edu/examining-the-mob-mentality-31395.aspx
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