Outline and evaluate one social psychological theory of aggression (Deindividuation)

Outline and evaluate one social psychological theory of aggression (Deindividuation)

1. AO2

   • Mullen (1986)
     • Analysed 60 reports of lynching’s in the USA, it was found that the larger the mob was, the more barbaric the acts of violence were towards the victim
   • Mann
     • Studied 21 media reports of suicide jumps, it was found that in 10 of these reports, a ‘baiting crowd’ gathered in which members of the public encouraged the victim to jump. It was found that in the majority of these cases, it was dark outside and the crowd was far away from the victim, meaning anonymity was greater
   • ALTERNATIVE THEORY Local group norms. Johnson & Downing (1979)
     • Repeated Zimbardo’s 1969 study, however dressed half the ppts as nurses and half as KKK members. Those dressed as KKK shocked more, as they may’ve felt that they had ‘an aggressive reputation’ to uphold, whilst nurses are seen as caring. (Similar principles can be placed onto Rehm’s study, using the social identity theory)
   • Postmes & Spears (1971)
     • Conducted a meta-analysis of 60 deindividuation studies, and found that disinhibition and anti-social behaviour weren’t more common in large groups

2. AO1

   • LeBon (1895)
     • Suggested that individuals are ‘transformed’ when part of a crowd. This is due to a variety of reasons, including anonymity, suggestibility and the sense of a ‘collective mind’
   • Zimbardo et al. (1969)
     • Placed ppts into groups of 4; half wore bulky coats so retained anonymity, whilst half wore normal clothes and were constantly referred to by name. Ppts with anonymity shocked other ppts for twice as long, supporting claims that anonymity increases deindividuation
   • Deindividuation causes a lack of self-evaluation and gives a sense of disinhibition from what one would normally consider socially and morally acceptable behaviour
   • It was also found that as the size of the group increases, so does anonymity
   • Rehm (1987)
     • Used 2 groups of school children to demonstrate how wearing certain clothes increases anonymity and thus violence. The ppts with sports kits on played far more aggressively than their peers

3. IDA

   • Real life application
     • Francis (2005)
       • Found teens are more likely to seek mental health advice online than at a GP due to increased anonymity
   • Cultural bias
     • Watson
       • Found that tribesmen that drastically changed their faces before going to war were far more likely to be savage and killed more people during battle
   • Reductionist
     • Ignores other factors such as gender, individual differences and genetic factors resulting in a greater disposition for aggression