Notes
Chapter 2
Crowd Behaviour
The existing literature on crowd behaviour involves a variety of definitions, descriptions, views and explanations. Several of them will be addressed in this chapter to lay the groundwork for the definition, focus and aspects that are considered necessary to proceed in understanding crowd behaviour. Crowd behaviour is the behaviour that is conducted by individuals who gather in a crowd. However, what is exactly meant when talking about crowds and their behaviour? In everyday life, the word crowd is used to indicate a range of situations that involve an assembly of persons. For example a crowd at a festival, or a crowd on the internet to buy tickets for a concert. Usually, the context in which the word ’crowd’ is used indicates what type of group is meant in terms of size, duration, composition, motivation, cohesion and proximity of individuals. The crowd example in chapter 1 of the beach festival illustrates this meaning through context. Crowd behaviour at the festival is for instance clearly different from crowd behaviour in the shopping street (see the boxes 1-3 examples in chapter 1). In the shopping street the crowd consists of identifiable small groups, each pursuing their unique shopping goals, but all of them have the goal to shop. At the festival different groups can be identified. J* belongs to several of these groups. A small group of companions with whom J* came to the festival. But also a larger group in which J* and others are dancing in front of the stage. The dancers share the way of fulfilling their goal to enjoy music, while the shoppers differ in behaviour to fulfil their goal as they are not all heading for the same shop. The differences between the crowds are hard to catch in a definition as they are situation and time dependent what kind of group is dealt with. In the field of crowd research there is no consensus on the definition of a crowd. The definitions evolve around the concept of a gathering (Challenger, Clegg, &
Crowd Behaviour
The existing literature on crowd behaviour involves a variety of definitions, descriptions, views and explanations. Several of them will be addressed in this chapter to lay the groundwork for the definition, focus and aspects that are considered necessary to proceed in understanding crowd behaviour. Crowd behaviour is the behaviour that is conducted by individuals who gather in a crowd. However, what is exactly meant when talking about crowds and their behaviour? In everyday life, the word crowd is used to indicate a range of situations that involve an assembly of persons. For example a crowd at a festival, or a crowd on the internet to buy tickets for a concert. Usually, the context in which the word ’crowd’ is used indicates what type of group is meant in terms of size, duration, composition, motivation, cohesion and proximity of individuals. The crowd example in chapter 1 of the beach festival illustrates this meaning through context. Crowd behaviour at the festival is for instance clearly different from crowd behaviour in the shopping street (see the boxes 1-3 examples in chapter 1). In the shopping street the crowd consists of identifiable small groups, each pursuing their unique shopping goals, but all of them have the goal to shop. At the festival different groups can be identified. J* belongs to several of these groups. A small group of companions with whom J* came to the festival. But also a larger group in which J* and others are dancing in front of the stage. The dancers share the way of fulfilling their goal to enjoy music, while the shoppers differ in behaviour to fulfil their goal as they are not all heading for the same shop. The differences between the crowds are hard to catch in a definition as they are situation and time dependent what kind of group is dealt with. In the field of crowd research there is no consensus on the definition of a crowd. The definitions evolve around the concept of a gathering (Challenger, Clegg, &