Collective
a relatively large group of people who respond in a similar way to an event or
situation.
- Collectives differ from other types of groups in terms of size (larger), proximity of the
members (close or distant), duration (can form and disband rapidly), conventionality
(can behave atypical), and intimacy of the relations among members (often weak
associations of individuals).
Milgram: studies of line breaking
suggests that queue members are both group- and
self-motivated.
Crowds display consistent structures and behavioral tendencies. McPhail: identified a
number of elementary behaviors common to such groups:
- Movement: actions taken in common by group members (e.g., clustering,
queuing, running, etc.). - Positioning: the stance assumed by members in the space (e.g., sitting,
standing, bowing, etc.). - Manipulation: alteration of objects in the setting, such as throwing/moving
objects. - Gesticulation: gesturing (e.g., saluting and signalling).
- Verbalization: communicating through language forms (e.g., chanting,
singing, praying, etc.). - Vocalization: communicating with paralinguistic sounds (e.g., ooh-ing,
cheering, laughing, etc.). - Orientation: moving into a particular formation within the space (e.g.,
clustering, ringing, facing, etc.).
Panics occur when
crowds seek to escape a situation (= escape panics) or when fearful that a
the valued resource will run out (= acquisitive panics).
Four types of social movements:
- Reformist movement: seek to improve existing institutions, often through
civil disobedience and demonstrations. - Revolutionary movement: seek more sweeping changes in existing social
institutions. - Reactionary movement: seek to resist change or even to reinstate extinct
social systems. - Communitarian movement: strive to create more ideal living conditions than
currently exist in modern society, often by withdrawing from contact with
non-members.
Le Bon
crowds are governed by a collective mind, and contagion (= spread of behaviors,
attitudes, and affect through crowds from one member to another) causes crowd members
to experience similar thoughts and emotions.
- People tend to imitate each other, which increases the likelihood that their actions
will become unified and coordinated.
-Social network theory: contagion results from relatively common network
processes. Gladwell: some individuals in social networks are more influential than
others.
contagion
spread of behaviors,
attitudes, and affect through crowds from one member to another
Social network theory
contagion results from relatively common network
processes
Convergence theories
individuals who join groups often possess similar needs and personal characteristics.
Studies of relative deprivation
suggest that people whose attainments fall below
their expectations are more likely to join social movements.
Runciman
individuals are more likely to take collective action when they are
experiencing fraternal deprivation (= when a group member feels his
group’s outcomes are inferior relative to other groups’ outcomes) rather
than egoistic deprivation (= when one feels one’s outcomes are inferior
relative to other individuals’ outcomes).
fraternal deprivation
when a group member feels his
group’s outcomes are inferior relative to other groups’ outcomes
egoistic deprivation
when one feels one’s outcomes are inferior
relative to other individuals’ outcomes
Zimbardo: deindividuation
an experiential state caused by a number of input factors, such as group membership and anonymity, that is characterized by the loss of self-awareness,
altered experiencing, and atypical behavior.
Tumer & Killian: emergent norm theory
crowds often develop unique social standards and
that these atypical norms exert a powerful influence on behavior (e.g., baiting crowd = forms
when a group of onlookers collectively urges someone to injure or kill themselves).
baiting crowd
forms when a group of onlookers collectively urges someone to injure or kill themselves
