How Might de-Individuation Theory Explain the Looting Behaviour That Sometimes Accompanies Crowd Riots? What Are the Strengths and Limitations of This Kind of Approach to Understanding Collective Behavior?
How might de-individuation theory explain the looting behaviour that sometimes accompanies crowd riots? What are the strengths and limitations of this kind of approach to understanding collective behavior?
This assignment will look at what de-individuation theory is and how this could explain looting behaviour that sometimes accompanies crowd riots. We will investigate research into de-individuation and how the theory has developed from Le Bon’s original work. Moving on to explore how the research supports de-individuation theory in relation to looting behaviour and how evidence from a social identity theory viewpoint would counter act this. Under lying interrogative themes such as power relations will be discussed as to how these also link into the riots and collective behaviour, before examining evidence that crowds / collective behaviour is not necessarily a negative thing and could go some way to explaining collective behaviour. Subsequently re-capping and tying in the evidence and evaluation to summarise into a conclusion.
De-individuation as defined by Festinger et al (1952) is a process where the individual immerses themselves into a group they no longer view themselves as individuals, causing a psychological shift toward anonymity within the group. This anonymity depending on the demands of the situation leads to disinhibited and impulsive behaviour (Dixon and Mahendran, 2012). From this definition de-individuation theory would explain the looting behavior that sometimes accompanies crowds from the respect of individuals becoming anonymous in a crowd. In becoming anonymous research has identified that as an individual believes that they become less responsible for their own actions essentially the mentality that “if everyone else is doing it it’s ok”, aggressive behavior would increase however in this case it is being related to looting behavior rather than aggressive behavior (Dixon and Mahendran, 2012).
Zimbardo a psychologist
This assignment will look at what de-individuation theory is and how this could explain looting behaviour that sometimes accompanies crowd riots. We will investigate research into de-individuation and how the theory has developed from Le Bon’s original work. Moving on to explore how the research supports de-individuation theory in relation to looting behaviour and how evidence from a social identity theory viewpoint would counter act this. Under lying interrogative themes such as power relations will be discussed as to how these also link into the riots and collective behaviour, before examining evidence that crowds / collective behaviour is not necessarily a negative thing and could go some way to explaining collective behaviour. Subsequently re-capping and tying in the evidence and evaluation to summarise into a conclusion.
De-individuation as defined by Festinger et al (1952) is a process where the individual immerses themselves into a group they no longer view themselves as individuals, causing a psychological shift toward anonymity within the group. This anonymity depending on the demands of the situation leads to disinhibited and impulsive behaviour (Dixon and Mahendran, 2012). From this definition de-individuation theory would explain the looting behavior that sometimes accompanies crowds from the respect of individuals becoming anonymous in a crowd. In becoming anonymous research has identified that as an individual believes that they become less responsible for their own actions essentially the mentality that “if everyone else is doing it it’s ok”, aggressive behavior would increase however in this case it is being related to looting behavior rather than aggressive behavior (Dixon and Mahendran, 2012).
Zimbardo a psychologist
References: Festinger, L., Newcomb, T., Pepitone, A. (1952), cited in Dixon, J., and Mahendran, K. Silke, A., (2003), cited in Dixon, J., and Mahendran, K. Watson, R. I., (1973), cited in Dixon, J., and Mahendran, K. Zimbardo, P. G., (1969), cited in Dixon, J., and Mahendran, K. Dixon, J., and Mahendran, K., (2012), Crowds in Hollway, W., Lewis, G., Lucey, H., and Phoenix, A., (eds), Social Psychology Matters, Milton Keynes, The Open University. Stott, C., (2012), Block 1 audio: Cliff Stott’s assessment of the 2011 riots, Download this audio clip., DD307 website, Milton Keynes, The Open University.