Have you ever felt that suddenly the people in a group begin to act in the same way? That is, a behavior by repetition. Who is the individual within this phenomenon? These are the situations with which mass psychology worries.

In this article we will talk about what it is, the theories and practical examples of the topic.

What is Mass Psychology

A mass psychology is also known as crowd psychology. it is a branch of social psychology whose goal is to study the behavioral characteristics of individuals within crowds.

Here, in a crowd, The sense of universality of behavior and the weakening of individual responsibility influence the collective. This is especially true as the number of people in the group grows. Therefore, this field encompasses not only the study of the behavior of individual members in a crowd, but also the behavior of the crowd as a single entity .

In classical approaches to crowd psychology, theorists focused on the negative phenomena emerging from mass gatherings However, current theories take a more positive view of this phenomenon.

Some Theories on mass psychology

Freudian Theory

Freudian theory states that when a person becomes a member of a crowd, his unconscious mind is freed. This happens because the restrictions of the superego are relaxed. In this way, the individual tends to follow the charismatic leader of the mass In this context, the ego's control over the impulses produced by the id diminishes. Consequently, instincts normally confined in people's personality come to the surface.

Contagion Theory

The Contagion Theory was formulated by Gustavo Le Bon. This theory states that crowds exert a hypnotic influence on their members. Since they are protected by anonymity, people abandon their individual responsibility. In this way, they give in to the contagious emotions of the masses.

Thus, the crowd takes on a life of its own, stirring emotions and driving people to irrationality.

Emergent Rule Theory

This theory states that non-traditional behavior associated with collective action develops in crowds for a reason: is the result of the emergence of new behavioral norms in response to precipitating crises.

This theory suggests that the masses are formed in the midst of crises As such, these crises force its members to abandon previous conceptions about appropriate behavior. All this for the sake of the search for new ways of doing things.

When a crowd forms, there is no particular norm governing the behavior of the mass, and there is no leader. However, the crowd focuses on those who act distinctively. In this context, distinction is taken as the new norm for mass behavior.

Social Identity Theory

Henri Tajfel and John Turner formulated this theory in the 1970s and 1980s to explain crowd action, the most significant aspect of social identity theory is the development through self-categorization theory.

We need to say that the social identity tradition assumes that the masses are made up of multiple identities, which in turn constitute complex systems, rather than a unitary, uniform system.

This theory highlights the distinction between personal (individual) identity and social identity. The latter concerns how a person understands himself as a member of a group. Although such terms may be ambiguous, it is important to note that all identities are social This is in the sense of defining a person in terms of social relationships.

Social identity theory also mentions that social categories are strongly associated with ideological traditions, for example, Catholicism and Islam. In some cases, social identities may be even more important than biological survival.

We can see this in issues where a person sacrifices himself for an ideology. For example, someone who devotes his time excessively to issues that he believes in, identifies with. Perhaps the most important point of this theory is that social identity is what connects members . after all, it brings members of a crowd closer together.

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2 Examples of mass behavior

Now let's talk about the practical examples of mass psychology Generally speaking, there are different types of mass phenomena that we can find grouped into two main groups: the group with physical proximity, that is, where there is direct contact between people, and the mass group without physical proximity.

From within the group of masses with physical proximity, we can subdivide it into aggregated masses and disaggregated masses :

Aggregate masses

In this case people are grouped together by a common interest. As is the case, for example, with mobs and audiences, where the mobs are aggregate masses of an active character.

Also, they are generally violent and can be classified in certain ways: aggressive (for example, a protest); evasive (for example, in the case of a fire); acquisitive (as in the case of sales or liquidations); expressive (for example, religious meetings).

Publics are ordered and passive masses that pay attention to someone or an event People are grouped together in a certain place by mere coincidence (as, for example, people walking along the street).

Group of masses without physical proximity

This group is also known as the group of masses diffused in space and time. It encompasses all situations in which people do not see, hear or speak to each other, that is, they do not know each other and do not know precisely how many they are. For example, when at the same moment, you watch the same TV program or listen to the same radio program. In other words, it happens suddenly.

The most important aspect is that people are not there for the approximation of ideas and values.

Apart from these two, there is also a special group of this phenomenon called mass psychology This includes collective manias (such as, for example, fashion), the popular uprisings (as in the case of racism) and the social movements (such as the feminist movement).

Another clear example where we see the mass psychology taking form is in Internet cases. For example, the fake news that are widely disseminated and promote mass reactions Here, as said before, people assume a leader and follow him blindly.

Conclusion

A mass psychology It is extremely interesting, as are most studies of human behavior. Remember that studying the crowd is important for understanding ourselves individually.

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