DEINDIVIDUATION

• WHAT IS DEINDIVIDUATION?

  • psychological state where self-awareness is lost
  • via being part of a large group, disguising appearance or drugs and alcohol
  • lose individual identity and gains social identity of group
  • Le Bon: anonymity, suggestibility, contagion (behaviour from one crowd participant spreading to another)
• EVALUATION?

  + Dodd

  + Zimbardo

  + Watson

  + Malmouth and Check

  + Johnson and Downing

  + real world application

  -Dabbs et al

  -cultural factors
• DODD?

  • 229 undergraduate psychology students
  • 'if you could do anything and not be held responsible what would you do?'
  • 36% antisocial
  • 26% criminal
• ZIMBARDO?

  • female participants
  • told being investigated on creativity under stress
  • gave shocks to confederates
  • half wore coats with hoods and addressed as a group
  • half wore name tag, own clothes and addressed by name
  • in cubicles to prevent peer pressure
  • longer duration of shocks for deindividuated
• WATSON?

  • 23 societies
  • warriors
  • in those with high killing, torture and mutilations rate 12/13 changed appearance before going to war
  • in those with low only 3/10 changed their appearance
• MALMOUTH AND CHECK?

  • North America
  • university students
  • 'would you rape if nobody ever found out?'
  • 35% said yes
• JOHNSON AND DOWNING?

  • female participants
  • either dressed as KKK member (mask over face), nurse or own clothes
  • gave electric shocks to confederates
  • those dressed as KKK gave higher levels of shock
  • nurses gave fewer, lower level shocks and were more compassionate
  • suggesting normative cues determine whether aggression or prosocial behaviours are demonstrated
• REAL WORLD APPLICATION?

  when uniform is appropriate, e.g. prisons have been allowing prisoners to wear own normal clothes to prevent deindividuation
• DABBS ET AL?

  higher testosterone levels found in violent criminals rather than non-violent criminals
• CULTURAL FACTORS?

  • difference in anti-social behaviour between football games and rugby/ cricket games
  • cultural factors internalised by social learning