Social-psychological : De-individuation

• Crowd Behaviour


  De-individuation is a concept originally used to explain the behaviour of individuals in crowds, because as a crowd we:

  • lose restraint of self-identity and responsibility
  • disregard norms and even laws
  • experience less personal guilt
• De-individuation


  Zimbardo distinguished two types of behaviour

  • Individuated = rational and conforms to social norms
  • De-individuated = emotional, impulsive, irrational and anti-normative

  Conditions which promote aggressive behaviour

  • Darkness, drugs, alcohol, uniform, masks, disguises
• Research : Zimbardo


  Groups of 4 female undergrads were told to give electric shocks to another student to 'aid learning'. Half of the women wore lab coats and hoods that hid their faces, sat in separate cubicles and never referred to by name. The other half wore normal clothes with name tags and were introduced and saw the learner and shock machine. Participants in the hooded condition were more likely to give shocks and give longer shocks.
• Research : Dodd


  Asked 229 undergrad psych students "if you could do anything and not be detected or held responsible what would you do". The students responded anonymously. He found that 36% involved anti-social acts, 26% were criminal acts, and 9% were acceptable behaviours.
• Eval : Strength


  Mann identified 21 cases of suicidal 'jumpers' were baiting (angering) occurred. The cases tended to be in dark, large crowds and jumpers distant from crowd. All consistent with de-individuation theory and aggression.
• Eval : Weakness


  Gergen et al placed strangers in a dark room for an hour and told them there were no rules. They couldn't identify each other and were guaranteed they'd never meet again. They quickly resorted to talking, kissing and touching. When study was repeated and strangers were told they would meet each other afterwards, the interactions decreased. Shows that aggression isn't the only product of de-individuation.
• Eval : Weakness


  Johnson and Downing conducted a study where female participants gave electric shocks to a confederate dresses as either, KKK, nurse or normal clothes. They found that participants in KKK group gave worst shocks, but the nurse group were compassionate to the victim. Shows aggression and prosocial behaviour are both possible outcomes of de-individuation.