Flashcards
Aggression - Deindividuation
Cards in this deck (6)
- 1Deindividuation is the loss of identity & loosening of normal inhibitions Examples: Zimbardo Nazi Guards London RiotsThings that could lead to deindividuation:
Anonymity
Group Size
Costume - 2Origins of the theory: Gustave Le Bon 1895 When in a crows: anonymity, suggestibility & contagion. Individuals dont see the consequences & social norms are forgotten.Zimbardo suggests that being part of a crowd can diminish awareness of ones individuality.
- Larger the crowd = greater anonymity.
- There is a diminished fear of neg evaluations & therefore a reduced sense of guilt. - 3The theory of D can be applied to agg as it explains how rational individuals become agg hooligans in an unruly mob. Festinger et al 1952: Suggests that there is a reduction of the inner restraints & self-awareness when individuals are submerged in a group, they are unable to see the consequences & social norms are forgotten.Zimbardo 1970:
Argued that reduced responsibility, inc arousal, sensory overload & altered consciousness due to drugs/alcohol play an important part in D. - 4Gustave Le Bon 1895: Suggests that the more anonymous the crowd = greater threat of extreme action. A 'collective mindset' takes over and the crowd acts as one = loose self control. The idea of a 'collective mindset' has been criticised, it is believed that the anonymity leads to a release from internal restraints, producing emotional, impulsive & irrational beh.Diener 1980:
Suggested that people often beh in well-scripted ways, and do so without conscious awareness. When beh doesn't follow the script, the individual becomes self-aware.
He believed that crowds block an individuals capacity for self awareness & the individual becomes deindividuated. - 5Gender Bias Cannavale et al 1970: Found that M & F groups responded differently under D conditions reflecting a gender bias in the theory. An inc in agg was obtained only in all male groups.Gender Bias
Diener et al 1973:
Also found the same results. He found a grater disinhibition of agg in M. Thus, evidence indicates that M may be more prone to disinhibition of agg beh when D, than F - 6Importance of Local Group Norms: Johnston & Downing 1979: Any beh produced could be a product of local group norms. Used Zimbardo's exp conditions, but P's were made anonymous by a mask & overalls, or nurses uniforms. P's shocked more when dressed in KKK uniforms but less when dressed a nurse. Shows: People respond to normative cues associated with the social context in which they find themselves .Lack of Support for D:
Evidence is mixed.
Postmes & Spears 1998:
MA of 60 studies of D found insufficient support for the major claims of D. They found that disinhibition and antisocial beh are not more common in large groups & anon settings. Nor was there much evidence that D is associated with reduced self-awareness or that reduced self-awareness inc agg beh.
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- as level Aggression Flashcards on Aggression - Deindividuation, created by KirstyOldaker on 20/02/2015.
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