Have you ever experienced being one with a crowd? Maybe when you joined the mosh pit at a concert, or when you watched your favorite basketball team’s final game. You must’ve felt as if, for a moment, your identity merged with everyone else’s there. Who you are didn’t matter, only the community you were in. This is how deindividuation happens. By reading this article, you’ll learn about deindividuation’s history, related facts, examples, and many more.
Definition
Deindividuation is a phenomenon where you experience loss of self-awareness and reduced inner restraint, which lead to impulsive disinhibited behavior (may be deviant or violent). The term was coined in the 1950s by American social psychologist Leon Festinger to describe situations where people can’t be distinguished from others. Being part of a group can lower your sense of accountability and responsibility, which may lead to doing things you normally wouldn’t do.
Deindividuation Theory’s Origins
According to psychologist William McDougall, crowds bring out instinctive primary emotions such as fear and anger. Basic emotions spread fast among members of a crowd as they are expressed. This then encourages uncontrolled and impulsive behavior. In 19th century France, Gustave Le Bon introduced his crowd psychology theory in “The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind”. He shared the idea that a collective mindset drowns out individual personalities.
Ed Diener, American psychologist and author, explained that in a group context, one loses the ability to plan actions rationally when their attention is outward and away from self. Psychologists Prentice-Dunn and Rogers added to this by distinguishing public self-awareness from private self-awareness. Public self-awareness is said to be reduced by “accountability cues” like diffusion of responsibility or anonymity, while private self-awareness was reduced by “attentional cues” such as group cohesiveness and physiological arousal. This reduction leads to an internal deindividuated state (decreased private self-awareness and altered thinking as a natural by-product) that causes decreased self-regulation and attention to internal standards for appropriate behavior.
Examples
Anonymity makes it easier to act differently or even violently. Blending in with everyone else helps you seem untouchable–you might not be traced and blamed for what you’ve done. Joining a political mob, looting, participating in riots, using the internet as a complete stranger (chat rooms, comment threads, etc.), entering a gang, and identifying with a religious group are all less risky. It’s much more unlikely for average people to do such activities on their own.
Deindividuation In Psychology
As a concept in social psychology, deindividuation is among the classic phenomena early pioneers researched. Building on Le Bon’s theory, it provided an explanation for aggression in crowds back in the days. A significant event you need to take note of is the “Stanford Prison Experiment”. Psychology professor Philip Zimbardo led this social psychology experiment in 1971, to investigate the psychological effects of having perceived power. He assigned volunteers as either guards or prisoners in a mock prison (by flipping a coin) with himself as the superintendent. Reports stated that those who played the guard role internalized their part so much that they willingly tortured the prisoners. In the same way, the prisoners accepted mistreatment and even obeyed when asked to harass others who tried to stop the guards.
Conformity and Groupthink
Deindividuation happens when your need to follow group norms overshadows your social identity. Conformity (adapting to a group’s attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors) and groupthink (desire for harmony; may lead to dysfunctional decision-making) can be considered aspects of deindividuation. However, some argue that they don’t mainly involve loss of awareness. Groupthink can occur, for instance, when you consciously shut down your own thoughts in favor of your group’s. Conformity can be a more active process as well. It can include conforming to social norms that serve a positive purpose, like proper waste disposal.
Effects
Though a lot of deindividuation scenarios are destructive, good ones also exist. You may lose your individuality and self-awareness and even suffer from the consequences of impulsive actions, but you may also benefit from deindividuation. Psychologically rewarding communities such as those related to sports and meaningful matters is one example. Taking part in something bigger than yourself does much for you, especially if certain personal issues trouble you. Still, anyone should be careful not to let deindividuation bring them harm. It’s not smart to irresponsibly engage in anything that can cause deindividuation if you already have negative tendencies.
Reducing Deindividuation
Psychologists have come up with several strategies to counter deindividuation: Don’t be anonymous. Unless you’re in a situation where you need to protect your identity, you should try your best to maintain self-awareness. Increase self-awareness. Know yourself and your beliefs. Constantly remind yourself of who you are and what you stand for. Some social psychology studies have proven that using a mirror (research participants were less likely to cheat on a test if they can see themselves in a mirror) helps induce self-awareness. Be responsible. Keep yourself from any person, thing, or place which might trigger deindividuation. Don’t join sketchy clubs. Guard your mind in enticing crowds. Don’t just do something because everyone else is doing it.
Those who are suffering from deindividuation’s damaging effects can be helped by making them remember their identity. This can be done in ways that are sure to be effective for the person such as highlighting specific activities in conversation, asking about their reasons for what they do, and helping them see the impact of their behavior. They need to understand how they are affecting others. When all else fails, therapy is an option you should consider. Psychotherapy is an ideal means of managing or treating conditions like deindividuation, whether they come with an actual mental health disorder or not.
Ultimately, research suggests that involvement with other people doesn’t always lead to deindividuation. There are many other factors to consider regarding this state.
Conclusion
We hope you learned a lot about deindividuation through this article. Depending on circumstances, deindividuation can be harmless or not. It promotes a sense of belonging and identity for those within a community, but it also encourages rebellious behavior in those who are already prone to defy. Moreover, there are different factors that can cause deindividuation such as anonymity (isolation and loss of responsibility), need to conform, or inability to express oneself without other people. Deindividuation can be avoided and should be dealt with properly if it’s the unhealthy or dangerous kind. Seeking professional help, knowing yourself well, and understanding your values, are all effective ways to handle this experiential state.
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