Crowd is a temporary accumulation of a large number of people in an area allowing direct contact, who spontaneously react to the same stimuli in a similar or identical way.
The crowd does not have established organizational norms and no set of moral principles and taboos. What emerges here are primitive but powerful impulses and emotions.
The crowd is usually divided into four types:
- aggressive crowd;
- fleeing (escaping) crowd;
- hungry crowd;
- demonstrating crowd.
All these types of crowds have many common phenomena:
- deindividuation, i.e. partial disappearance of individual personality traits and a tendency to imitate;
- a sense of standardization, which entails a weakening of ethical and legal standards;
- a strong feeling that the actions taken are correct;
- a sense of one’s own strength and a decreased sense of responsibility for one’s actions.
In a crowd, a person is involuntarily transmitted increased excitability regarding one's own social feelings, there is a multiple mutual strengthening of the emotional impact. Hence, even an accidentally thrown word in a crowd that offends political preferences can become an impetus for pogroms and violence.
Unconscious anxiety about what has been done often exacerbates the feeling of persecution - a special excitability of the crowd towards its true or illusory enemies.
The influence of the crowd on an individual is transient, although the mood that arises in him can last a long time. The bond that unites the crowd is destroyed, if new stimuli create different emotions:
- the crowd disperses under the influence of the instinct of self-preservation or fear (if the crowd is doused with water or fired upon);
- the crowd can also disperse under the influence of such feelings as hunger, a sense of humor, excitement directed towards other goals, etc.
Methods of overcoming or psychologically disarming the crowd are based on the use of this kind of mental mechanisms, just as the technical techniques by which the crowd is manipulated are based on knowledge of the mechanisms that unite the crowd.
Crowd Formation
Crowd- a temporary and random meeting of individuals of any nationality, profession and gender, regardless of the reason for this meeting. Under certain conditions, a participant in such a meeting - a “man of the crowd” - is characterized by completely new features that differ from those that characterize individual individuals. The conscious personality disappears, and the feelings and ideas of all the individual units that form the whole called the crowd take the same direction. A “collective soul” is formed, which, of course, is temporary, but the meeting in such cases becomes what the Frenchman G. Lebon (1841 - 1931) called an organized crowd or a spiritualized crowd, constituting a single being and obeying the law of spiritual unity of the crowd.
Without a doubt, the mere fact of the chance occurrence of many individuals together is not enough for them to acquire the character of an organized crowd; This requires the influence of certain pathogens. According to the French sociologist and psychologist S. Moscovici, the masses are a social phenomenon: individuals “dissolve” under the influence of suggestion that comes from the leader. The social machine of massing people makes them irrational when people, irritated by some event, gather together and the conscience of individuals cannot restrain their impulses. The masses are carried away, spurred on by the leader (“the mad leading the blind”). In such cases, politics acts as a rational form of using the irrational essence of the masses. Having said “yes” to the leader, the exalted crowd changes its faith and is transformed. Emotional energy propels her forward and gives her the courage to endure suffering and at the same time insensitivity. The energy that the masses draw from their hearts is used by leaders to press the levers of government and lead many people towards the goal dictated by reason.
“Social involvement” may be a factor that enhances the behavioral component. For example, street riots, riots, pogroms and other similar aggressive mass actions activate individual attitudes (negative attitude towards the authorities, the police or some “hostile” group), which under normal conditions are manifested only in verbal assessments or moods. In such situations, an additional reinforcing factor is the phenomenon of emotional contagion that occurs in large gatherings of people, a crowd.
Characterizing collective behavior and role, three types of formation of spontaneous groups are distinguished:
Crowd, which is formed on the street due to a variety of events (traffic accident, detention of an offender, etc.). At the same time, the elements, being the main background of crowd behavior, often lead to its aggressive forms. If there is a person capable of leading a crowd, pockets of organization arise in it, which, however, are extremely unstable;
Weight- a more stable formation with unclear boundaries, which is more organized, conscious (rallies, demonstrations), although heterogeneous and quite unstable. Among the masses, the role of organizers who do not come forward spontaneously, but are known in advance, is more significant;
Public, which usually gathers for a short time together in connection with some kind of spectacle. The public is quite divided; its specific feature is the presence of a psychic connection and a common goal. Because of a common goal, the public is more controllable than a crowd, although an incident can make its actions uncontrollable (say, the behavior of fans in a stadium if their favorite team loses).
Thus, under crowd understand a temporary and random gathering of people, characterized by spiritual and emotional community, spatial proximity and the presence of an external stimulus. Weight - somewhat more stable and conscious education of individuals (for example, participants in a rally or demonstration); the organizers of the masses do not appear spontaneously, but are determined in advance. Public - this is a community of people who are consumers of the same spiritual and information product; Unlike the crowd, the public is united not on a territorial, but on a spiritual basis. Spontaneous groups in general are a constant element of social life at all stages of its development, and their role in the development of many social processes is very significant.
Behavior of people in a socially unorganized community
Let us consider the essential features of an unorganized social community. A variety of such a community, along with the public and the masses, is the crowd.
The behavior of people in a crowd is distinguished by a number of mental characteristics: some deindividuation of the personality occurs, a primitive emotional-impulsive reaction dominates, the imitative activity of people sharply intensifies, and the anticipation of the possible consequences of their actions decreases. In a crowd, people exaggerate the legality of their actions, their critical assessment decreases, the sense of responsibility becomes dulled, and a sense of anonymity dominates. Against the background of general emotional stress caused by a particular situation, people entering the crowd quickly succumb to mental infection.
A person in a crowd acquires a sense of anonymity, self-liberation from social control. Along with this, in crowd conditions, the conformity of individuals, their compliance with the behavior models proposed by the crowd, sharply increases. The casual crowd easily includes people who feel the need for thrills. The so-called expressive crowd easily includes people who are impulsive and emotionally labile. Such a crowd is easily carried away by rhythmic influences - marches, chants, chanting slogans, rhythmic gestures. An example of this type of crowd behavior is the behavior of fans in a stadium. An expressive crowd easily develops into an active crowd of an aggressive type. Her behavior is determined by hatred of the object of aggression and is directed by random instigators.
The spontaneous behavior of people is provoked in some cases by spontaneous information - rumors. Rumors cover events not covered by the media and are a specific type of interpersonal communication, the content of which is captured by an audience subject to certain situational expectations and prejudices.
The regulatory mechanism of crowd behavior - collective unconsciousness - is a special class of mental phenomena, which, according to the ideas of psychoanalyst C. G. Jung, contains the instinctive experience of humanity. General a priori behavioral patterns, transpersonal patterns of behavior suppress the individual consciousness of people and cause genetically archaic behavioral reactions, “collective reflexes”, in the terminology of V. M. Bekhterev. Homogeneous, primitive assessments and actions unite people into a monolithic mass and sharply increase the energy of their one-act impulsive action. However, such actions become maladaptive in cases where the need for consciously organized behavior arises.
The crowd phenomenon and impulsive behavior patterns are widely used by totalitarian politicians, extremists and religious fanatics.
The predominance of one-sided interest in a social community can cause crowd-like patterns of behavior, a sharp division into “us” and “them,” and a primitivization of social relations.
Behavioral characteristics vary four types of crowd:
- random (occasional);
- expressive (jointly expressing common affective feelings - jubilation, fear, protest, etc.);
- conventional (based on some spontaneously formulated positions);
- acting, which is divided into aggressive, panicky (saving), acquisitive, ecstatic (acting in a state of ecstasy), rebel (indignant at the actions of the authorities).
Any crowd is characterized by a common emotional state and a spontaneously emerging direction of behavior; growing self-reinforcing mental infection - the spread of an elevated emotional state from one individual to another at the psychophysiological level of contact. The lack of clear goals and the organizational diffuseness of the crowd turn it into an object of manipulation. The crowd is always in an extremely excited pre-start, pre-start state; To activate it, only an appropriate trigger signal is needed.
One of the types of disorganized crowd behavior is panic - a group conflict emotional state that arises on the basis of mental infection in a situation of real or imaginary danger, with a lack of information necessary for reasonable decision-making.
Panic blocks the ability to adequately reflect the situation and rationally assess it, people’s actions become defensive and chaotic, consciousness sharply narrows, people become capable of extremely selfish, even asocial, actions. Panic occurs in a state of mental tension, in conditions of increased anxiety caused by the expectation of extremely difficult events (fire, famine, earthquakes, flooding, armed attack), in conditions of insufficient information about the sources of danger, the time of its occurrence and methods of counteraction. Thus, the residents of one village, expecting an attack by Turkish troops, fell into a state of panic when they saw the reflections of their fellow villagers’ braids in the distance.
The crowd can be brought out of a panic state only by a very strong counteracting stimulus, targeted, categorical commands from authoritative leaders, presentation of brief reassuring information and an indication of real possibilities for exiting the critical situation that has arisen.
Panic is an extreme manifestation of spontaneous, impulsive behavior of people in the absence of their social organization, a state of mass affect that arises in response to a shocking circumstance. A crisis situation creates the need for immediate action, and their conscious organization is impossible due to insufficient information and orientation.
Using the example of people's behavior in a crowd, we see that the absence of social organization, a system of regulated norms and ways of behavior leads to a sharp decrease in the socionormative level of people's behavior. People's behavior under these conditions is characterized by increased impulsiveness, subordination of consciousness to one actualized image, and narrowing of other spheres of consciousness.
Each of us is very familiar with the concept of a crowd. In simple terms, this is a large crowd of people. Chaotic, although not devoid of some organization, which arises due to a common object of attention, event, tradition, circumstances.
But this is not the only thing that unites people who find themselves in a crowd. They are united by emotions, a certain tension, and a general psychological state. This is a complex concept and phenomenon, so everything that concerns it is worth talking about in a little more detail.
general characteristics
Before moving on to the types of crowds, you should understand the definition. There are two options, and both are correct, it’s just that each of them fits a particular case. So the crowd is:
- An initially unorganized collection of people that does not have a common conscious goal.
- A collection of people that has lost its organization and has lost its common goal.
In both cases, everyone in the crowd is in a state of maximum emotional arousal. Such clusters are formed in conditions of natural disasters, which include man-made disasters, earthquakes, fires, and floods. Even during military exercises, mass spectacles, celebrations, protests (demonstrations, processions, rallies, strikes). There are also traffic crowds.
Their types are determined taking into account factors, which include the emotional arousal of people and the degree of activity they exhibit. And now we can move on to the typology.
Active crowd
Characterized by increased aggressiveness, a tendency to cruelty, violence, and destructive actions. Also considered active are the fleeing crowds, which easily turn into acquisitive and panicky ones.
This is a general definition. An active crowd is also considered to be any gathering of people that manifests itself in action. For example, football fans who riot after a match. The incident with the defense of the White House in 1993 can also be considered indicative - then people gathered in an active crowd not to express their feelings or observe the event, but to take part in the action itself.
Acting crowd
This type is the most important in socio-political terms. Accordingly, of all types of crowds, it is the most deeply and closely studied. It is important to note that this type has so-called branches. It is divided into aggressive, panicky, acquisitive and rebellious crowds. The first two will be discussed separately, so now it is worth noting the other 2 types.
- Money-grubbing crowd. It is formed by people who are obsessed with the idea of regaining some valuables or obtaining them. Crowds of this type are extremely heterogeneous. They can be formed by pogromists, depositors of bankrupt banks, and looters. In any case, all participants fight for the possession of values.
- Rebellious crowd of people. It is also called rebel. If the crowd's actions are successful, it becomes “revolutionary.” Instead of success comes failure? Then the crowd ceases to be considered even rebellious. It becomes a “gathering of putschists” or a “random rabble.”
Aggressive type
This type of crowd needs to be discussed separately. In an aggressive crowd, the level of emotional arousal, as well as external and internal activity, constantly increases. Mental stress gradually manifests itself, which is based on feelings of anger, despair, frustration, and misunderstanding. The crowd moves from an active state to an aggressive one due to the appearance of a so-called exciting stimulus. It is he who provokes the emergence of general indignation and indignation.
But the main thing that distinguishes an aggressive crowd is its destructive behavior. Crowds of people who are united by a feeling of fear, which is usually caused by danger to life, are divided into panic and those fleeing. Their behavior becomes destructive - the level of awareness of the actions being performed falls, a critical attitude to the situation disappears, and the experience of fear becomes more acute.
And panicked crowds are more dangerous than those fleeing. Because their behavior poses a greater threat to people. In a panicked crowd, the organization is completely lost, and its participants begin to behave unconsciously, mechanically, and inappropriately. They are completely consumed by fear. A fleeing crowd, which is more predictable, can be subordinated to the organization, since its participants retain the ability to regulate their behavior and be aware of what is happening for some time.
Expressive type
The name itself defines the characteristics of this type of crowd. Expression is a vivid manifestation of thoughts, moods and feelings. And also temperament. What is an expressive crowd? A group of people that rhythmically expresses a certain emotion. It could be anything - indignation, joy, anger, enthusiasm.
A striking example is people chanting a slogan at a rally. Or football fans, their entire crowd cheering for their favorite team. In some cases, the rhythmic expression of emotions takes on an intense form, resulting in the phenomenon of mass ecstasy.
By characteristics and education, the crowd is expressive to the current one. Its participants also lose self-awareness, they also begin to come into contact with mindless and fast-acting responsiveness.
But there is a fundamental difference. The fact is that participants in an expressive crowd do not develop an image of a particular goal. Accordingly, suggestion does not lead to the creation of an action plan and its implementation directly. It can be expressed in simple language. The expressive crowd does not act - it simply succumbs to excited movements. In such cases, the external expression of feelings is an end in itself.
Conventional crowd
It consists of people who gathered in a certain place at a specific time for a reason, but with a predetermined purpose. Examples of this phenomenon surround us everywhere. Take, for example, spectators of a theater performance, listeners of a symphony concert, or football fans.
The peculiarity of this type of cluster is that its participants comply with the rules and generally accepted norms governing their behavior. This makes the crowd predictable and orderly. You could even say that such a gathering of people is close to the public. This concept also means a set of persons who are the object of influence of something - education, literature, events, advertising, art, actions (performances), etc.
Occasional type
In this case, the name also determines the characteristics of the crowd. The word "occasion" from English means "accident". That is, an occasional crowd is a gathering of people who have gathered to watch an unexpected incident. An absolutely ordinary situation from the social sphere, which each of us has witnessed at least once in our lives.
If a UFO lands on the square of a city, then probably in about 15 minutes there will be no crowd to get through to it. A whole cloud of onlookers will instantly form around him. What are they? These are separate individuals who, by chance, find themselves connected by one center of attention.
How quickly a crowd forms, as well as its size, depends on the informational value and unusualness of the incident. Let's say a kitten is stuck in a tree - it is unlikely that at least a hundred people will gather to watch how they will get it out of there. What if suddenly someone puts a suitcase with a million rubles in the middle of the street and says that in 10 minutes he will give it to the person he likes the most? People will probably run away from work for this.
Ecstatic type
It is impossible not to mention him. An ecstatic crowd is a gathering of people who work themselves into a frenzy through communal ritual or prayerful activities. This concept comes from the word “ecstasy”.
History knows a striking example. We are talking about the dances of St. Vitus - a holiday that arose during the era of the medieval plague. People were tired of what was happening and wanted to forget this nightmare so much that they went crazy and danced to death. And in the literal sense of the word.
Literature
The phenomenon under consideration is perfectly described by the great poet M.Yu. Lermontov in his poem entitled “How often surrounded by a motley crowd...”. In this work, the writer skillfully portrayed the society he despised, exposing life’s “masquerade” and the cold soullessness of secular society.
He managed to convey the heap of images in the best possible way, and such figures of speech as “the decency of pulled masks,” “soulless people,” “long-faltering hands” and “the wild whisper of closed speeches” seem to transport the reader into that atmosphere - but whatever, to the hall where the ball took place. In fact, more can be said about the poem “How often surrounded by a motley crowd…”, and a much more detailed and in-depth analysis can be carried out. However, everyone will find something catching in it that touches the soul. It's definitely worth reading at least once.
Signs of a Crowd
It’s also worth noting them with attention. The types of crowds differ in conditions and circumstances, but their characteristics are the same. These are considered the main ones:
- Numerousness. In small groups, psychological phenomena that are typical of a crowd do not arise.
- Aimlessness.
- Increased contact. All people are at a minimum distance from each other. Sometimes it’s not there at all. So each individual enters the personal space of his “neighbor”.
- Emotional excitement. As mentioned earlier, unbalanced dynamic states and unrest are typical psychological states of the crowd.
- Disorganization. Crowds form spontaneously. There is no organization in them, and if it appears, it is lost very quickly.
Human behavior in a crowd
It is also of some interest. The behavior of a person in a crowd changes due to the circumstances surrounding him. And this is what is observed in the vast majority of cases:
- Reduced internality. Self-control disappears - the individual’s dependence on the crowd increases, he unconsciously submits to the influence of the crowd. The ability to regulate one's own behavior disappears.
- Loss of individuality. All crowd participants gradually come to the same level of psychological and behavioral manifestations. No matter how different they are, each eventually becomes similar to each other.
- Inability to concentrate on one object. Uncritical thinking appears, attention is easily switched.
- Quick assimilation and subsequent dissemination of the information received. At the same time, a person can also involuntarily distort and exaggerate what he hears. This is how rumors appear in the crowd.
- Suggestibility. Under the influence of external circumstances, a person easily believes in things that, in a different situation, he would consider nonsense. This includes lies, disinformation, obviously impossible promises, absurd slogans, calls, etc.
- Increased activation. When a person is in a crowd, all his resources are mobilized. That is why often people in such conditions exhibit such physical and psychological qualities that seemed inaccessible to him. In other words, a person himself is surprised at what he turns out to be capable of.
- Atypical behavior. Sometimes a person, being in a crowd, can begin to do something that he would never do. And then, remembering what happened, he will refuse to believe in it.
And these are just some of the reasons why the crowd phenomenon is of interest to study by specialists. After all, this is not just a crowd of people. A crowd poses a real danger - both for those around them and for those inside it.
Crowd
A collection of people who lack a clearly perceived commonality of goals and organization, but are connected by similarities in their emotional states and a common center of attention. The main mechanisms of the formation of T. and the development of its specific qualities are considered circular (increasing, mutually directed emotional), as well as. There are four main types of T.:
1) occasional T., associated with curiosity about an unexpected incident (road accident, etc.);
2) conventional T., bound by interest in some pre-announced mass entertainment (for example, certain types of sports competitions, etc.) and ready, often only temporarily, to follow more or less diffuse norms of behavior;
3) expressive T., jointly expressing a general attitude towards any event (joy, enthusiasm, indignation, protest, etc.), its extreme form is represented by ecstatic T., which, due to mutual rhythmically increasing infection, reaches a state of general ecstasy (as on some ry mass religious rituals, carnivals, rock music concerts, etc.);
4) current T., which, in turn, includes the following subtypes: a) aggressive T. (see), united by blind hatred of a certain object (lynching, beating of religious, political opponents, etc.);
b) panicky T., spontaneously fleeing from a real or imaginary source of danger (see): c) acquisitive T., entering into a disorderly direct relationship for the possession of any valuables (money, seats in outgoing transport, etc.); d) insurgent T., in which people are united by a common, just indignation at the actions of the authorities, it is often an attribute of revolutionary upheavals, and the timely introduction of an organizing principle into it can elevate a spontaneous mass uprising to a conscious act of political struggle. The absence of clear goals, the absence or diffuseness of the structure give rise to the practically most important property of T. - its easy convertibility from one type (subspecies) to another. Such transformations often occur spontaneously, however, knowledge of their typical patterns and mechanisms allows one to deliberately manipulate T.’s behavior for opportunistic purposes, and on the other hand, to consciously prevent and stop its particularly dangerous actions.
Brief psychological dictionary. - Rostov-on-Don: “PHOENIX”. L.A. Karpenko, A.V. Petrovsky, M. G. Yaroshevsky. 1998 .
Crowd
An unstructured accumulation of people, devoid of a clearly recognized commonality of goals, but mutually connected by the similarity of their emotional state and a common object of attention. The main mechanisms for the formation of a crowd and the development of its specific qualities are a circular reaction (emotional contagion growing in both directions), as well as rumors.
There are four main types;
1 ) occasional crowd - bound by curiosity about an unexpected incident (road accident, etc.);
2 ) crowd is a conventional crowd - bound by interest in some pre-announced mass entertainment (sports competitions, etc.) and ready, often only temporarily, to follow fairly diffuse norms of behavior;
3 ) an expressive crowd - jointly expressing a general attitude towards a certain event (joy, enthusiasm, indignation, protest, etc.); its extreme form is an ecstatic crowd, reaching a state of general ecstasy from mutual rhythmically increasing infection - as at some mass religious rituals, carnivals, rock music concerts, etc.;
4 ) active crowd - contains subspecies:
a) an aggressive crowd - united by blind hatred of a certain object (lynching, beating of religious, political opponents, etc.);
With ) acquisitive crowd - entering into a disorderly direct conflict for the possession of certain values (money, places in departing transport, etc.);
d ) rebel crowd - where people are connected by a common, just indignation at the actions of the authorities; it often forms the basis of revolutionary upheavals, and the timely introduction of an organizing principle into it can elevate a spontaneous mass action to a conscious action of political struggle.
The absence of clear goals, the absence or diffuseness of structure give rise to practically the most important property of the crowd - its easy convertibility from one type (subspecies) to another. Such transformations are often spontaneous, but knowledge of their patterns and mechanisms makes it possible to deliberately manipulate the behavior of the crowd for opportunistic purposes, or to consciously prevent and stop its dangerous actions.
Dictionary of a practical psychologist. - M.: AST, Harvest. S. Yu. Golovin. 1998.
Crowd
CROWD (With. 593)
The first major works that can be called socio-psychological appeared at the turn of the 20th - 20th centuries. These primarily include the work of the French psychologist, sociologist and historian Gustave Le Bon “Psychology of the Crowd” (1895; in 1898 translated into Russian under the title “Psychology of Peoples and Masses”, new edition - St. Petersburg, 1995), and also the works of his compatriot Gabriel Tarde, devoted to the psychology of social relations. To this day, these books are read with constant interest, which cannot be said about the cumbersome “Psychology of Nations” by Wilhelm Wundt. In these books, as well as in “Social Psychology” by W. McDougall (which is considered by many to be the first proper socio-psychological work), ideas were developed regarding the psychology of large groups - “peoples and masses”. In social-psychological research, this issue subsequently receded into the background, although remarkable works on the psychology of large groups appeared later. Brilliant examples can be considered “Psychology of the Masses and Fascism” by V. Reich (1933; Russian translation - 1997), as well as “The Age of Crowds” by S. Moscovici (1981; Russian translation - 1996), which, by the way, is largely based on to the performances of Le Bon and Tarde. Moscovici concretizes the psychology of the masses in a whole system of ideas, among which the following are especially significant: Psychologically, a crowd is not an accumulation of people in one place, but a human aggregate with a mental community.
1. The individual exists consciously, and the mass, the crowd - unconsciously, since consciousness is individual, and the unconscious is collective.
2. The crowds are conservative, despite their revolutionary behavior. They end up restoring what they initially overthrew, because for them, as for everyone in a state of hypnosis, the past is much more significant than the present.
3. The masses and crowds need the support of a leader who captivates them with his hypnotizing authority, and not with the arguments of reason or submission to force.
4. Propaganda (or) has an irrational basis. Thanks to this, obstacles that stand in the way of action are overcome. Since most of our actions are the result of beliefs, a critical mind, lack of conviction and passion hinder action. Such interference can be eliminated by hypnotic, propagandistic suggestion, and therefore propaganda addressed to the masses must use energetic and figurative language of allegory with simple and imperative formulations.
5. In order to control the masses (party, class, nation, etc.), politics must be based on some higher idea (revolution, Motherland, etc.), which is introduced and cultivated in the minds of people. As a result of such suggestion, it turns into collective images and actions.
Summarizing all these most important ideas of mass psychology coming from Le Bon, Moscovici emphasizes that they express certain ideas about human nature - hidden while we are alone, and declaring themselves when we gather together. In other words, the fundamental fact is this: “Taken individually, each of us is ultimately intelligent; taken together, in a crowd, during a political rally, even among friends, we are all ready for the most extreme extravagances.” Moreover, the crowd, the mass, is understood as a social animal that has broken free from its chain, as an indomitable and blind force that is able to overcome any obstacles, move mountains or destroy the creations of centuries. For Moscovici, it is very important that in the crowd the differences between people are erased and people splash out their passions and dreams in often cruel actions - from base to heroic and romantic, from frenzied delight to martyrdom. Such masses play a particularly large role precisely in the 20th century (as a result of industrialization, urbanization, etc.). Therefore, according to Moscovici, mass psychology, along with political economy, is one of the two human sciences, the ideas of which made up history, since they specifically pointed to the main events of our era - “massification”, or “massification”.
Thus, (the crowd) is based primarily on the sharp opposition of an individual outside the crowd to himself, who is part of the crowd. Only in the second case does collectivity (collective soul, in Le Bon's terminology) or even sociality exist.
A century ago, in his Psychology of Crowds, Le Bon wrote: “The main characteristic feature of our era is precisely the replacement of the conscious activity of individuals with the unconscious activity of the crowd.”. The latter is almost exclusively controlled by the unconscious, that is, according to Le Bon, its actions are subject to the influence of the spinal cord rather than the brain.
The cited conclusion was made even before the emergence and development of psychoanalysis by S. Freud, who revealed the enormous role of the unconscious in the life of any “individual” human individual, and also in the life of society, civilization, crowd, etc. This means that according to the general criterion of the unconscious, it is hardly possible to contrast the individual and the crowd with each other. The same difficulty remains when such a contrast is carried out according to the criterion of sociality (if the latter is attributed only to the crowd, and not to a separate human individual).
It is necessary, however, to take into account that in mass psychology the crowd is understood very broadly. This is not only a spontaneous, unorganized gathering of people, but also a structured, to one degree or another organized association of individuals. For example, Le Bon already proposed the following classification of crowds, the starting point of which is a “simple crowd” of people. First of all, it's a crowd. heterogeneous: a) anonymous (street, etc.); b) non-anonymous (jury trials, parliamentary meetings, etc.). And secondly, the crowd homogeneous: a) sects (political, religious, etc.); b) castes (military, workers, clergy, etc.); c) classes (bourgeoisie, peasantry, etc.). And according to Tarde, in addition to anarchic, amorphous, natural crowds, etc., there are also organized, disciplined, artificial crowds (for example, political parties, government agencies, organizations such as the church, army, etc.). It was artificial crowds that subsequently attracted the greatest attention of Z. Freud.
Deeply analyzing these and other “transformed” forms of the crowd, Oskovichi, following Tarde, especially notes another and, perhaps, the most significant transformation of the crowd... into a public. If initially a crowd is a gathering of people in one enclosed space at the same time, then the public is a scattered crowd. Thanks to mass communication, there is no longer any need to organize meetings of people to inform each other. These means penetrate into every home and transform every person into a member of the new mass. Millions of such people form part of a new type of crowd. While everyone remains at home, newspaper readers, radio listeners, television viewers, and users of electronic networks all exist together as a specific community of people, as a special type of crowd.
In the field of psychoanalysis, the problems of large groups were illuminated in Freud’s later works, primarily in the book “Mass Psychology and Analysis of the Human Self.” In describing group behavior and, above all, intergroup aggression, Freud borrowed a lot from Le Bon and McDougall. Freely admitting his own gaps in the empirical study of the problem, Freud willingly accepted the basic ideas of both authors regarding the aggressive aspects of crowd behavior, but gave them a complete psychological, or more precisely, psychoanalytic interpretation. In Le Bon's work, Freud was especially impressed by the “brilliantly executed picture” of how, under the influence of the crowd, individuals discover their basic instinctive nature, how hitherto suppressed unconscious drives manifest themselves in the crowd, how the thin layer of civilized behavior is torn apart and individuals reveal their true, barbaric and primitive beginning . At the same time, the starting point (and then the fundamental conclusion) of Freud’s analysis of interpersonal relationships and mass psychology was his position that when studying various phenomena of culture and group psychology, no patterns are found that differ from those that are revealed when studying the individual.
Turning to the study of various social communities, Freud specifically identified two of their supporting types: the crowd (an unorganized conglomerate, a gathering of people) and the mass (a specially organized crowd in which there is some commonality of individuals with each other, expressed in their common interest in a certain object, homogeneous feelings and ability to influence each other). Freud considered an essential distinguishing feature of the masses to be the presence in the community of libidinal attachment to the leader (leader) and the same attachment between the individuals composing it. It was assumed that such a community constitutes a “psychological mass.” Aware of the existence of various masses and even identifying their two main types: natural masses (self-organizing) and artificial masses (formed and existing under some external violence), Freud at the same time noted the similarities between the mass and the primitive horde and proposed an understanding of the mass as continuation and, in a certain sense, recreation of the primitive horde.
Exploring the differences and identity of the masses and the horde, he came to the conclusion that conscious individuality is suppressed in them, the thoughts and feelings of people acquire a certain homogeneity and are oriented in the same directions, and in general they are dominated by collective impulses with a high degree of unconsciousness, impulsiveness and efficiency. Insisting on the existence of a libidinal structure and constitution of the mass, Freud especially noted the role of attachment to the leader, with the disappearance of which the mass disintegrates.
In psychoanalytic group psychology, the foundations of which were laid by S. Freud himself, some attention is paid to the role of various negative feelings and factors in the social relations of people. In particular, Freud came to the conclusion that, for example, hatred towards an object can unite individuals just as well as positive feelings, and envy can act as a source of ideas of equality and other pseudo-humanistic ideals.
Popular psychological encyclopedia. - M.: Eksmo. S.S. Stepanov. 2005.
Crowd
Besides the obvious definition (large crowds of people), the term has special meaning in the study of youth. Here it denotes a large, loosely organized group that can give the teenager a sense of identity based on the apereotype of the group, while he has not yet developed a sense of his own ideological identity.
Psychology. AND I. Dictionary reference / Transl. from English K. S. Tkachenko. - M.: FAIR PRESS. Mike Cordwell. 2000.
Synonyms:See what a “crowd” is in other dictionaries:
Crowd- in China Crowd (ancient Greek ... Wikipedia
crowd- noun, f., used. very often Morphology: (no) what? crowds, why? crowd, (see) what? crowd, what? crowd, about what? about the crowd; pl. What? crowds, (no) what? crowds, why? crowds, (see) what? crowds, what? in crowds, about what? about crowds 1. A crowd is a large... Dmitriev's Explanatory Dictionary
Crowd
The crowd is chaotic, although not without some organization. The organizing factor can be a common object of attention, tradition, event. Crowd members are often in a similar emotional state. A crowd is described by a number of parameters and characteristics, such as the number of people gathered, direction and speed of movement, psychological state and others. The crowd is a subject of study in social psychology, which in particular introduces classifications of crowds according to a number of characteristics. In some cases, a crowd can pose a danger to others (for example, rioters) and to itself (in case of panic). Crowds play a significant role in history.
Crowd Study
History
Phenomena such as riots, uprisings, revolutions, migration of peoples, wars and other phenomena associated with the participation of a large number of people are studied.
Sociology
The main task is to predict crowd behavior. At the same time, differences between individual members of the crowd are not taken into account; phenomena are considered as statistically average.
Psychology
The goal is to explain the mechanisms that lead a person to a state where a person is influenced by the crowd.
Famous Crowds
- Stampede on Trubnaya Square during the funeral of Joseph Stalin
see also
Links
Literature
- Koryavtsev P. M. Introduction to issues of cooling dynamics. St. Petersburg: 2004-2006.
- Kovelman A. B. The birth of the crowd: from the Old to the New Testament // Odyssey. Man in history. 1993. The image of the “other” in culture. M., 1994, p. 123-137
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Synonyms:- Papua
- Philip of Opunt
See what “Crowd” is in other dictionaries:
crowd- a collection of people who lack a clearly recognized commonality of goals and organization, but are connected by similarities in their emotional state and a common center of attention. The main mechanisms for the formation of T. and the development of its specific qualities are considered... ... Great psychological encyclopedia
crowd- noun, f., used. very often Morphology: (no) what? crowds, why? crowd, (see) what? crowd, what? crowd, about what? about the crowd; pl. What? crowds, (no) what? crowds, why? crowds, (see) what? crowds, what? in crowds, about what? about crowds 1. A crowd is a large... Dmitriev's Explanatory Dictionary
CROWD- When a hundred people stand next to each other, everyone loses his mind and gains some other one. Friedrich Nietzsche The morals of the people in times of unrest are often bad, but the morals of the crowd are strict, even when this crowd has all the vices. Talleyrand Face... ... Consolidated encyclopedia of aphorisms
crowd- Crowd, gathering, horde, gathering, horde, gang, people; people, common people, mob, masses, plebs, street. The actor is entirely dependent on that mass, which is called in prose, and even in poetry. Gray crowd. The street is hard to climb in the mental sense... ... Synonym dictionary
crowd- crowd, Ukrainian get on, blr. crowd, other Russian tulpa, st. glory tlpa χορός (Supr.), Bulgarian. Talpa, Czech tlupa crowd, group, slvts. tlupa, Czech here. tlum crowd, Polish tɫum – the same. Praslav. *tъlра or *tьlрa is related to lit. talpà… … Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language by Max Vasmer
The content of the article:
Crowd psychology is a separate branch of psychology that studies the behavioral reactions of groups of people and an individual within them. History knows many examples of how dangerous and unpredictable a crowd can be, both in relation to the political system and in relation to individual people. And the art of controlling large masses is considered the highest aerobatics among politicians.
The concept of a crowd in psychology
Psychology gives the following definition of the concept: “crowd” is an unorganized, structureless accumulation of people who are united by one object of attention and the same feelings towards it. A distinctive feature of such a cluster is the absence (or loss) of a clear, conscious common goal.
A classic crowd in social psychology is a gathering of people during military exercises, natural disasters, protests, mass spectacles or transport vicissitudes.
Each of us at least once in our lives observed the behavior of a crowd or was a participant in it. In both the first and second cases, it is impossible not to notice the “crowd effect”. It lies in the fact that people who find themselves in it are “infected” by the general mood and behavioral reactions. Often even to the detriment of one’s desires and principles. A person literally joins the crowd, becoming one with it.
Depending on the mood prevailing inside it, it can be very unpredictable and dangerous in terms of destruction and trauma. Therefore, it is very difficult to control such crowds of people.
The nature of the formation of the crowd allows us to determine its composition, which includes:
- Instigators (the core of the crowd) are people whose task is to form a crowd, set it up correctly and use it for certain purposes.
- Crowd participants are people who have joined it and actively participate in its actions. At the same time, both suggestible people and people with a heightened sense of justice (sympathy), as well as ordinary people or idlers, can fall under the influence of a large crowd of people. The latter do not show particularly active participation in crowd movements, but at the same time contribute to mass participation. The most dangerous people are those who are attracted to the crowd only because they have the opportunity to throw out their aggression and negative energy.
Interesting! The very term “crowd” became part of social psychology precisely during such a turbulent period of mass revolutionary unrest of the people of the late 19th - early 20th centuries. Therefore, at first I had a very limited definition of poorly organized actions of the proletariat against the exploiters.
Mechanism and stages of crowd formation
Studying the nature of crowds of people, the psychology of crowd behavior has identified 2 main mechanisms of its formation: increasing unidirectional “contagion” of an emotional nature (circular reaction) and rumors. And the formation process itself was divided into several stages.
The main stages of crowd formation:
- Crowd Core Formation. Despite the fact that spontaneity is a distinctive feature of the crowd, it is still unable to form without some kind of core, center. Such a core can be people (initiators) who are fully aware of their actions and pursue certain goals, or an incident (event). Then ordinary human curiosity comes into play and attracts more and more people to the core. People of all ages, principles, temperaments. Having become interested in what is happening, a person merges with the crowd to satisfy his interest. Moreover, each new “infusion” of emotions fuels the already created emotional charge. That is, the mechanism already mentioned above is triggered - a circular reaction. This “fouling” of the center of the crowd occurs spontaneously, like an avalanche.
- The whirling process. Emotional tension is growing within the resulting crowd. Against this background, an aggravation of receptivity to information begins. Thanks to the ongoing circular reaction, excitement also grows - the cycle closes. People show a collective readiness to immediately react to any incoming information.
- The emergence of a new object of attention. It is conversations, rumors and gossip, heated by the intensity of feelings, that replace the original cause - the core of the formation of the crowd. In its place comes an image created by the participants of the “gathering” themselves. It is acceptable to all, unites, focuses and captures the senses. It gives orientation and direction to action.
- Activation of individuals through excitement. The ever-growing tension within the crowd requires release. This can be achieved through additional stimulation of its participants through suggestion, fueling the imagination in relation to the chosen object of attention. Such actions lead people to take specific actions. Not always safe and logical. The leader or the same instigators, who can use the crowd for certain purposes, can throw a spark into the fire.
Important! An already formed crowd can become a very dangerous weapon in the hands of aggressive people. The consequences of the “work” of such a crowd can be destructive and uncontrollable. It is extremely difficult to stop such an “element”.
Main types of crowds in psychology
The classification of types of spontaneous gatherings of people includes several directions, depending on what is taken as the basis for the division.
The main types of crowds in psychology based on controllability:
- Spontaneous. Its formation and manifestations are not associated with any type of organization and management.
- Slave. Formed and directed (from the very beginning or subsequently by the development of events) by a leader, that is, a specific person.
- Occasional. The basis of its education is curiosity about a certain incident, an event that arose spontaneously, unexpectedly. This could be an accident, accident, fire, fight, natural disaster, etc.
- Conventional. It is formed due to interest in a certain mass event (sports event, spectacle, etc.). Moreover, this event is not spontaneous in nature: it is announced in advance, that is, known and expected. Such a crowd is relatively controllable, since it is able to act within the framework of norms of behavior. However, such subordination is temporary, and the framework of behavior itself can be quite vague.
- Expressive. According to the mechanism of formation, it is very similar to the conventional one, that is, people in it are united by a common attitude towards a certain event or incident (indignation, protest, condemnation, joy, enthusiasm). It has a subtype called the “ecstatic crowd”. This is an extreme degree when the emotional attitude towards an event develops into general ecstasy. Most often this happens during carnivals, religious rituals, concerts, when the rhythmically increasing infection brings the crowd to a general trance and euphoria.
- Active. It is formed on the basis of an emotional community, ready for specific actions or already performing them.
- Aggressive. Participants in such a gathering of people are united by aggression directed at a specific object. This may be a manifestation of hatred towards a certain person (lynching) or a certain movement, structure (political, religious). The result of such a “gathering” most often is acts of vandalism and beatings.
- Panic. In this case, people are united by mass panic, forcing them to flee from danger. Moreover, panic can be both justified, with a real danger, and imaginary, when the danger is imaginary.
- Acquisitive. The “glue” of such a crowd is the chaotic struggle for certain material values. Such objects of conflict may include food and goods (excitement during discounts or shortages, destruction of warehouses), money (in the event of bank bankruptcy), and places on public transport. This type of behavior of people in a crowd can manifest itself during terrorist attacks, major disasters, and natural disasters.
- Rebel. In the crowd of this subspecies, people are united by a common feeling of dissatisfaction with the work of the authorities and the government. If you intervene in the elements of such a crowd in a timely and competent manner, it can be turned into a powerful weapon of political struggle.
Psychological properties of the crowd
Psychology explains the well-known crowd effect with a number of features inherent in a spontaneous gathering of people. These features affect 4 spheres of personality: cognitive (cognitive), temperamental, emotional-volitional and moral.
Psychological properties of the crowd in the cognitive sphere:
- Incapacity for consciousness. The human crowd does not accept logic and reason - it lives by emotions. And it is the latter who lead it. Not every person alone can hear and obey his own mind, but, succumbing to the herd instinct of the crowd, he loses this ability completely. Thus, in a human crowd, unconscious qualities take precedence over conscious ones.
- Stimulation of imagination. All crowd participants become infected not only with common emotions, but also with images. The extremely increased receptivity to impressions enlivens any information that comes to the crowd. Thanks to the same effect of collective imagination, events occurring in the crowd's area of influence can be significantly distorted. Including because of exactly how these events are “presented.”
- Creative thinking. Large spontaneous gatherings of people are characterized by imaginative thinking, simplified to the limit. Therefore, they do not distinguish objective information from subjective information, do not perceive complex ideas, do not argue or reason. Everything that “lives” in the crowd is imposed on it. She does not accept discussions, does not consider options or nuances. There are only two options here: the idea is either accepted in its pure form or not accepted at all. Moreover, preference is given to illusions and misconceptions rather than truth and reality.
- Conservatism. The crowd is extremely attached to traditions, and therefore does not accept any innovations or deviations to the side.
- High suggestibility and infectiousness. Another property inherent in the crowd is increased susceptibility to suggestion. Therefore, it is easy to instill in her the necessary image, an idea that infects all its participants.
- Emotionality. The behavioral properties of the crowd are characterized by emotional resonance. It is expressed in the fact that the constant exchange of emotions among the participants gradually brings the general emotional state of the crowd to the limit, which is already difficult to consciously control.
- High sensuality. Lack of responsibility for one's actions in combination with hypersensitivity gives rise to extremely strong impulses that have one direction vector. That is, they are accepted by all members of the crowd. Regardless of the “color” of these impulses - they are generous or cruel, heroic or cowardly. Simple feelings prevail here, but to the extreme. Moreover, they are so strong that they defeat not only reason and personal interests, but also the instinct of self-preservation.
- Extremism. A crowd is a destructive phenomenon. It releases from a person hidden and pent-up passions, including those for destruction. This also pushes her to respond with rage to any obstacle (even in verbal form) in her path.
- Irresponsibility. This phenomenon makes a large crowd of people extremely prone to violence, especially when influenced by instigators.
- Weakness of motivation. Despite all the passion with which the crowd perceives ideas or events, their interest is unstable and does not last long. Therefore, persistent will and prudence are not characteristic of her.
In the moral sphere the psychological properties of a spontaneous gathering of people are manifested by a demonstration of sublime feelings (devotion, a sense of justice, selflessness, etc.) and religiosity. The latter is especially important because it also presupposes unquestioning submission, intolerance and the need for propaganda.
One cannot ignore the influence of the crowd on each of its participants, as a result of which he acquires anonymity, “facelessness,” and the opportunity to surrender to his instincts. He falls into the power of his environment, including due to his high suggestibility and awareness of the irresistible force of numbers. He is ready to sacrifice his principles and personal interests in favor of the interest of the crowd. All this increases the feeling of impunity and the tendency to aggression and arbitrariness. At the same time, a person loses his individuality, becoming part of the general mass, degrading behaviorally and intellectually.
Crowd Control Methods
The behavior of unorganized mass gatherings of people may depend on many factors: ideological influences and their presentation, the psychological state of the “crowds,” the speed and direction of events. Community of feelings, multiplied by resonating emotions and reactive readiness to act, creates fertile ground for panic.
The result of such a “cocktail” can be very tragic events. Therefore, crowd psychology identifies several factors that are dangerous in terms of panic. These include: superstition, illusion and prejudice. All these phenomena are inherent to many of us even in a state of isolation from society, but in a crowd they intensify many times over. Therefore, they can lead to mass psychosis.
Despite the fact that the crowd is initially spontaneous and uncontrollable, in the end it still strives for submission. At the same time, the leader to whom she will listen can be chosen spontaneously or take power into her own hands. And for her such nuances are completely unimportant - she will obey any of them. Obey instinctively, blindly and unquestioningly. The crowd does not accept weak power, but bows to strong power. She is ready to endure even tough management. Moreover, it is despotic power that is the most effective lever for crowd control.
Skills and abilities that a crowd leader must have:
- Ideology. The main task of the “leader of the pack” is to create an idea and launch it “to the masses.” It doesn't matter which one. Therefore, most often mentally unbalanced people whose beliefs and goals cannot be challenged or refuted are put on the pedestal. Even in cases of complete absurdity or absurdity.
- Activity. There is one more feature that distinguishes the “heroes” from the rest of the crowd - action. They do not think, but act. Moreover, more often there are leaders whose willpower and energy are of a transitory nature. Much less often the crowd is controlled by people who constantly have these qualities.
- Charm. Another quality without which it is impossible to lead a crowd is charm. It may be based on admiration or fear, personal charm or special psychological techniques, success or experience in a certain area close to the interest of the crowd. In any case, she must listen to her leader and pay attention.
- Knowledge of crowd control techniques. Most people who find themselves at the top of power over a crowd intuitively understand that they need to take several consistent steps. First, you need to infiltrate her and understand what she “breathes,” merge with her and convince her that you breathe the same air as her, and then add “fire” to her in the form of images that excite her. Ideally, in order to control a crowd, you need to know the features of its formation and basic properties.
- Using strong language. The crowd understands and accepts only force, so you should speak to it in strong, direct, loud phrases. Exaggerations, repetitions, harsh statements are simply necessary here. Moreover, the more a statement is repeated in the same word form, the more firmly it is embedded in the minds of listeners and is perceived as an immutable truth.
The most effective techniques for inactivating a crowd are:
- Distracting the attention of the crowd to other goals, events, ideas. This disunity of interests leads to disunity in the crowd. She is falling apart.
- "Beheading" of the crowd. Capturing or isolating a leader deprives the crowd of the idea that united them. And if another leader does not immediately take his place, it will turn into a simple gathering of people. Not stable and not connected by anything.
- Awakening the minds of crowd members. The main task is to remind crowd participants of a sense of responsibility, to remove the veil of suggestion and anonymity. This can be done in several ways. For example, announce that a video is being filmed of what is happening or specifically address the participants by last name, first name and patronymic (you can select the most common data in the area).