Deindividuation

• Deindividuation

  ---> losing ones sense of identity

  
  

  It's how being in a crowd leads to a reduction in self awareness/personal individuality of people in the crowd

  
  

  This loss of individuality results in a loss of personal control with non aggressive individuals then going along with the aggressive behaviours of the group
• Individuals in a large crowd are less easily identified, they feel anonymous reducing feelings of personal responsibility

  
  

  This lowers inhibitions and feelings of guilt around committing aggressive acts

  
  

  Anonymity is increases by factors like masks and uniform
• The sense of personal responsibility of people in a deindividuated state is reduced because they are less worried about what others think of them = reduction in public self awareness
• Strength of Deindividuation

  Empirical support

  Zimbardo - found that pps who wore hoods and lab coats (anonymous) gave longer electric shocks to a learner than those in normal clothes with name tags

  Suggests when people feel anonymous, they are more likely to behave aggressively because they lose their sense of personal responsibility

  Increasing credibility as an explanation for aggressive behaviour in group settings.
• Weakness of Deindividuation

  Reductionist

  
  

  Focuses on situational factors e.g. anonymity and crowd behaviour while ignoring biological, personality or cognitive factors that influence aggression

  
  

  For example not everyone becomes aggressive in a crowd suggesting individuals like empathy or aggression levels also play a role

  
  

  Therefore, theory oversimplifies complex behaviours by ignoring other processes
• Weakness of Deindividuation

  Real world application

  
  

  Deindividuation can help explain aggressive behaviour in riots, large crowds or online settings where people feel anonymous e.g. trolling

  
  

  Understanding these triggers can help in designing interventions such as increasing surveillance to reduce anonymity

  
  

  Increases applicability and validity of theory