Crowd behaviour II Flashcards

Question

Relational transformation at the Mela Validation

Answer 1

(sense that you have a big crowd that by people being there for the same reason as you it confirms the value of this event and you being there) - P5M55: Where is the crowd a hurdle? The crowd is not a hurdle and more people are coming. It is a good thing. Like more and more people are joining in for something which I have come for. More and more numbers of people are coming in devotion. This is a good thing. Why would it be a hurdle? - Interviewer: Meaning if there is a bigger crowd, you would feel good? - P5M55: Yes, it will [unclear] the thing in which I have faith, here, if more and more people gather, it is a good thing. Others’ participation confirms and validates “the thing in which I have faith”. In turn, this sense of validation mitigates any difficulties associated with a large crowd.

Answer 2

‘At the railway station people are not helping each other, [they] fulfil their own aim. When the train arrives, immediately, if they have a reservation, people will board. Suppose it is the General class [a basic level of rail travel], someone is taking their own luggage and facing problems, they [other passengers] will not care. And here [in the Mela], people take much care of this thing!’ Support is given and expected – and when it doesn’t occur people feel disappointed Importance of looking at boundaries- the fact that the person felt disappointed when support was not give shows you that its an expectation

Answer 3

- 4 bombs (three trains, one bus) - Rush hour - 56 people died - 700+ injuries Emergency services didn’t reach all the survivors immediately – the crowd was left in the dark for up to 20 minutes or more Drury et al., 2009

Answer 4

Interviewees’ references to ‘we-ness’: ‘unity’, ‘together’ ‘similarity’ ‘affinity’ ‘part of a group’ ‘everybody, didn’t matter what colour or nationality’ ‘you thought these people knew each other’ ‘teamness’[sic] ‘warmness’ ‘vague solidity’ ‘empathy’ ‘Us’ in relation to the bomb blast

Answer 5

Support measured as giving reassurance, sharing water, pulling people from the wreckage, supporting people up as they evacuated, tying tourniquets Reports of support associated with reports of shared social identity There were numerous reports of seeing help, giving help shared with social identity Highest category- 'I saw help' Second highest- 'I helped' Third highest 'I was helped' Lowest category- 'selfish' behaviours

Answer 6

‘I remember walking towards the stairs and at the top of the stairs there was a guy coming from the other direction. I remember him kind of gesturing; kind of politely that I should go in front- ‘you first’ that. And I was struck I thought, God even in a situation like this someone has kind of got manners, really.’ (LB 11) - this positive regard/ helpfulness towards the other person is noted - emotional reaction to this- touched by this sign of care. - as well as a practical application, it can be interpreted as emotional support. ES is associated with recovery from trauma.

Answer 7

Crowd events (often) seem to be very passionate – strong feelings, joy, anger, strong group loyalty . . . Some commentators say this emotion is a form of madness or irrationality

Answer 8

Both Durkheim and social identity researchers argue that strong positive emotions are linked to socially/ collectively meaningful activities. Collective effervescence occurs because of: - Validation and emotion - Empowerment and emotion

Answer 9

- Interviews with 23 Dundee United supporters - When participants felt that co-present others shared their social identity, they: – Reported experiencing a validation of their and emotions, which augmented the strength of them P13: I mean once you saw other people being enthusiastic it made me want to be more enthusiastic, and then I’m sure every other person then became more enthusiastic. It just increased it I felt like. [Extract 18]- This is saying that other people experiencing the emotion that you’re feeling validates this emotion and makes it stronger

Answer 10

Identity-realisation at the Mela - survey of pilgrams (N = 416) (Hopkins et al., 2015) - Participants' perceptions of a shared identity amongst crowd members increased participants' sense that they were able to enact their collective identity - the more pilgrims believed the other pilgrims around them and shared social identity with them (had the same beliefs/ values), the more these pilgrams felt able to carry out practices that they valued more than they could in everyday life, they were more able to realise their values -- eg. carry out rituals and spiritual acts that they can't usually in everyday life -- associated with joy At the pilgrimage everyone is there for the same reason so you feel stronger and good about being able to enact you’re values at the pilgrimage

Answer 11

‘My pilgrimage broadened my scope. It blessed me with new insight. In two weeks in the Holy Land, I saw what I had never seen in thirty-nine years here in America. I saw all races, all colors,—blue-eyed blonds to black-skinned Africans—in true brotherhood! In unity! … It was in the Holy World that my attitude was changed, by what I experienced there, and by what I witnessed there, in terms of brotherhood—not just brotherhood toward me, but brotherhood between all men, of all nationalities and complexions, who were there.’ (Malcolm X, 1965, pp 478–479)

Answer 12

- Clingingsmith et al. (2009) - Khan et al.(2016) Mela - Alnabulsi et al. (2019) (Khan looked at change in strength in the religious identity. Alnabulsi et al looked also at effects on relations with other groups.)

Answer 13

- Premise: Pakistan’s lottery for attending the Hajj - Survey ran 5-8 months after Hajj (survey based on people who enter the lottery) - Random selection of winners and losers - Broadly representative (though the better off slightly over-represented) - N = 1,605

Answer 14

when they compared people who did vs didn't go they found a series of behavioural and psychological beliefs Those who attended Hajj: - Greater commitment to their Muslim identity afterwards - More positive towards other groups - More favourable attitudes to women - Greater belief in equality Compared to matched sample Plus increases observance of global Islamic practices, such as prayer and fasting, while decreasing participation in localised practices and beliefs, such as the use of amulets and dowry

Answer 15

- But what was the process?- they didn’t have items in their survey on the process - No measures taken of mechanisms - Speculation that contact was responsible

Answer 16

Kalpwasis provided data at three time points (T1, T2, T3) and Controls at two (T1, T3). Comparing attendees with matched sample afterwards: - Heightened social identification as a Hindu - Increased frequency of prayer rituals - Mechanisms: –Perceptions of sharing a common identity with other pilgrims –Being able to enact one’s social identity But this study didn’t look at changes in positive attitudes to other groups People who attended were more committed to their religious identity and observant of religious rituals (so same findings as study above) Whats missing is- attending the hajj changes peoples attitude towards other groups- this was studied below.

Answer 17

- Survey of 1194 pilgrims - Languages groups: 420 were Arabic speakers, 150 of Malay, 150 of Urdu, 120 of French, 120 of Persian, 120 of Turkish, and 114 of English. - Participants from 72 countries - 64.5% of the participants were male and 35.5% were female. - Sampled during the Hajj

Answer 18

In line with contact theory, perceived cooperation among pilgrims indirectly predicted more positive outgroup attitudes (as well as enhanced Muslim identification), via identification with the crowd. In line with social identity and identity congruence explanations, positive emotional experience and the perception that the crowd embodied the Muslim value of unity predicted self-change variables through identification with the crowd. All these 3 processes (positive experience, exhaustion, united crowd) operated with identification with the crowd - then you were more likely to have enhanced muslim identification and increased positive attitudes to outgroups.

Answer 19

- Positive effects such as support are not found in every crowds (eg. shopping crowds) - High levels of trust and enjoying proximity are also strongly associated with risk of spreading infectious diseases

Answer 20

1- Cognitive transformation – apply the category characteristics (including norms) to oneself 2- Relational transformation = when I see you as part of my group –Recognition, validation, solidarity/ support 3- Affective transformation –Emotional validation, support and identity enactment feel good 4- Mass gatherings can increase wellbeing (as well as having risks) 5- Where identity is realised and people have good contact with others, mass gatherings can lead to psych changes –Identity commitment –Positive attitudes to other groups

Crowd behaviour II Flashcards

(44 cards)