De-individuation

• De-individuation is the loss of self awareness, which can lead to increased levels of aggression
• What is de-individuation?

  A psychological state in which individuals have lowered levels of self-evaluation and decreased concerns about the evaluation of others.
• what is crowd behaviour?

  When we become a part of a group we lose restraint and have freedom to behave in ways we wouldnt otherwise.

  Individuals feel less identifiable in a group, so the normal constraints that prevent aggressive behaviour may be lost and shared responsibility reduces individual guilt.
• Le Bon (1895)

  • Individuals are more likely to behave in an aggressive manner when part if a large anonymous group
• Our behaviour is usually constrained by social norms as we can be identified by others.
• When we become part of a group we:

  • lose restraint
  • have freedom to behave in ways we wouldn’t otherwise
  • lose our sense of individual self-identity and responsibility for our behaviour
  • disregard norms or even laws
  • experience less personal guilt as responsibility becomes shared throughout the crowd
• Individuals feel less identifiable in a group, so the normal constraints that prevent aggressive behaviour may be lost.
• Shared responsibility for action reduces individual guilt.
• What is individuated behaviour?

  When our behaviour is rational, normative and conforms to social norms
• What is De-individuated behaviour?

  When behaviours are emotional, impulsive, irrational, disinhibited and anti-normative
• De-individuated behaviour

  • we lose self-awareness
  • stop monitoring and regulating our behaviour
  • Ignore social norms
  • fail to form longer term plans
  • act on primitive impulses
  • reduced fear of consequences
  • less fear of negative evaluations from others
  • could lead to pro social behaviour
• What does anonymity do?

  Being anonymous reduces inner constraints and increasing behaviours that are usually inhibited.

  We have less fear f retribution becuase we are a small and unidentifiable part of a faceless crowd.

  Provides fewer opportunities for others to judge us negatively.

  The bigger the crowd the more anonymous we are
• What conditions of de-individuations promote aggressive behaviour?

  Darkness, drugs, alcohol, uniforms, masks and disguises
• Zimbardo’s believed that being in a large group of people gave them a ’cloak of anonymity‘ that allows them to forget about consequences.
• What do Pentice-Dunn and Roger’s say?

  de-individuation isn’t due to anonymity directly but the consequences of anonymity.
• What do Pentice-Dunn and Rogers say are the 2 types of self awareness?

  Private and public self awareness
• what is private self awareness?

  Concerns how we pay attention to our own feelings and behaviour.

  This reduces when we’re part of a crowd as our attention becomes focused outwardly to the events around us and so we pay less attention on our own beliefs and feelings.

  • We’re less self-critical and thoughtful which promotes a de-individuated state
• What is public self-awareness?

  How much we care about what other people think.

  This is reduces in crowds as we realise that we’re just one amongst many.

  We’re anonymous and so our behaviour is less likely to be judged by others, so we become less accountable for aggressieve actions.
• Research on de-individuation

  Procedure:

  • asked 229 students what they would do if they could do anything and never be caught or held responsible
  • the students knew their responses wer anonymous
  • 3 independent rates decided which categories of antisocial behaviour the responses belonged to

  Findings:

  • 36% responses were anti-social behaviour
  • 26% included criminal acts- most common was to rob a bank
  • only 9% were pro-social behaviours

  This study demonstrated a link between anonymity, de-individuation and aggressive behaviour
• Research support- A03

  Douglas and McGarty (2001)

  • looked at aggressive online behaviour
  • found strong correlation between anonymity And posting hostile messages

  common behaviour of online trolls

  Deiner et al. (1976)- trick or treat study

  • Children trick or treated alone or in a group
  • all children and the opportunity to steal extra sweets
  • those in a group were more likely to steal than if they were alone

  Supports a link between aggresive behaviour and anonymity, which are key elements of de-individuation
• Research support counterpoint- A03

  There’s evidence that de-individuation doesn’t always lead to aggression

  Gergen et al. (1973) ‘deviance in the dark’ study

  • put groups of 8 strangers in a dark room for 1 hour and told them to do whatever they wanted and that they would never meet again afterwards
  • They started kissing and touching each other straight away

  So de-individuation may not always end to aggression.
• Real-world de-individuation- A03

  De-individuation can explain the aggressive behaviour of ‘bating crowds’

  Mann (1981)

  • Identified 21 cases where a crowd encouraged a suicidal jumper to jump
  • these incidents tended to happen in the dark with large crowd who were distant from the jumper

  so there’s validity to the idea that a large group can become aggressive in a de-individuated faceless crowd.
• Role of norms- A03

  De-individuated behaviour is normative rather than anti-normative.

  it’s argued that de-individuation lead to use behaving in ways contrary from social norms.

  But the social identity model of de-individuating argues that it may actual lead to behaviour conforming to group norms

  • becuase anonymity shifts individual’s attention from their private identity to their social identity as a group member

  suggests that people in a de-individuated ate remain sensitive to social norms rather than ignoring them.
• Cross-cultural application- A03

  Support for the effects of de-individuation in other cultures.

  Watson (1973)

  • Found that societies where warriors change their appearance through war paint, tribal costumes etc. had more destructive behaviour towards their victims than those who didn’t change their appearance
• Gender differences- A03

  Cannavale et al. (1970)

  • found that an increase in aggression was only found in all-male and not all-female groups

  Dieter et al.(1973)

  • Found greater disinhibited aggression in de-individuated males than females

  This may be becuase males respond to provocation in more extreme ways than females and this is magnified under conditions of de-individuation.
• Deindividuation is the process of losing self-awareness, including morals, beliefs, and ethical standards.
• Deindividuation is more likely to happen when we are able to become anonymous, such as wearing a mask or a uniform, or being in a crowd.
• When we are anonymous, we believe we are not responsible for our actions, which can lead to increased aggression as we no longer fear punishment.
• When we are part of a crowd, deindividuation leads to a loss of private self-awareness and public self-awareness, making us more likely to be aggressive if it is what the crowd is doing.