Lesson 8: Deindividuation

Question 1

What is it?

Answer 1

Psychological state in which an individual loses personal identity and takes on identity of a group

Question 2

Crowd behaviour.

Answer 2

Our behaviour governed by social norms
But when were part of crowd, we lose restraint and behave in ways we would otherwise
Lose out sense of self-identity and responsibility for actions
Responsibility shared throughout group. Used to explain violence in prisons and sporting events

Question 3

Deindividuation and aggression

Answer 3

• individuated state - behaviour is normative and rational
• deindividuated state- behaviour non-normative and impulsive, irrational
• major factor= anonymity
• Anonymity shapes crowd behaviour. The bigger the crowd, the more anonymous

Question 4

Reduced self-awareness

Answer 4

Experience of deindividuation as part of faceless crowd means greater likelihood of aggression
2 types of self-awareness:
1. Private- how we pay attention to our own feeling and behaviour. Reduced in crowd. Attention focuses on events around us
2. Public- how much we care about what other people think of our behaviour. Also reduced in crowds. Less accountable for our own actions

Question 5

Research on deindividuation.

Answer 5

Dodd asked 229 psychologist undergraduates, if you could do anything humanly possible with complete assurance that you wont be help accountable what would you do?
3 independent raters
36%- anti-social, 26%=criminal

Question 6

GOOD

Answer 6

RESEARCH SUPPORT:
1. Halloween (57%, 21%)
2. Would you rape if you could?, 35%
3. KKK

Question 7

BAD

Answer 7

• V difficult to separate effects to other explanations (SLT)
• Deindividuated behaviour actually normative (SIDE)