Mob: Understanding Mob Behavior
- Article's graphics courtesy of Medium
- Mob behavior is a complex and often alarming phenomenon that has been observed throughout human history. From riots and protests to spontaneous acts of violence, the behavior of individuals in a mob can be drastically different from their behavior when they are alone. This blog post will delve into the nuances of mob behavior, providing notable examples and exploring the psychological and social factors that contribute to its occurrence.
Definition and Examples of Mob
When a gathering of people—a crowd, an audience, or even a queue—becomes emotionally charged, the collective can become a mob. Mobs tend to form when some event, such as a crime, a catastrophe, or a controversial action, evokes the same kind of affect and action in a substantial number of people.
At its core, a mob is a disorderly, emotionally charged crowd whose members engage in, or are ready to engage in, violence against a specific target—a person, a category of people, or physical property.
While the term "crowd" is often seen as neutral, the term "mob" typically carries negative connotations. The word "mob" comes from the Latin term mobile vulgus, which means “excitable crowd” (Drury, 2002). The hallmark of a mob is its emotion (Lofland, 1981). Early accounts of mobs argued that individuals in mobs were so overwhelmed by their emotions that they could no longer control their actions. Unless the situation is diffused, the mob becomes volatile, unpredictable, and capable of violent action.
Mobs, as their name implies, are often highly mobile, with members moving together from one location to another, massing in a single location, or just milling about in unpatterned ways (Hughes, 2003). Historically, mobs have been associated with lawlessness, uncivilized behavior, and disorderliness. When many people think of mobs, terms such as hooliganism, lynch mob, unruly mob, and mob rule come to mind. As such, mobs have been associated with prejudice, racial bias, violence, and hatred.
Examples of Mob
- Lynch Mobs: Lynch mobs terrorized Black men in the southern United States until the early twentieth century. The first documented lynch mob occurred in the United States in 1882, and by 1950, lynch mobs had killed thousands. Virtually all the victims were Black, and many of the killings were savagely brutal (Mullen, 1986; Tolnay & Beck, 1996).
- Hooliganism: Hooligans are a specific type of violent sports fans, particularly of football (soccer) in Europe. These mobs of fans, often intoxicated, mill about in the streets and pubs around the stadiums, fighting with fans who support the opposing team (Dunning, Murphy, & Williams, 1986; Oyserman & Saltz, 1993).
- Mobbing: The abuse of low-status group members by groups of bullies, sometimes termed mobbing, is a regular occurrence in both school and work settings (Schuster, 1996; Whitney & Smith, 1993).
However, not all mob behavior is violent or disorderly. In many cities, large street celebrations break out after professional sports teams win major titles. For example, people who dance and drink together at Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, share the positive experience of having fun in a carnival-like atmosphere (Vider, 2004). Similarly, the heightened emotions that arise from groups of parade-goers in Rio de Janeiro during Carnival create a festive atmosphere that doesn’t include violence or other negative behaviors. Their aggressive counterparts, however, tend to be more common—or at least they receive more attention in the media (Milgram & Toch, 1969).
Why Mob Behavior Occurs
Several factors contribute to the emergence of mob behavior, including psychological, social, and environmental influences. Here are some key factors:
- Deindividuation: Deindividuation is a psychological state where individuals in a group lose their sense of self-awareness and personal responsibility. This can lead to behavior that they would not normally exhibit, as the anonymity of the crowd provides a sense of security and reduces feelings of accountability.
- Social Contagion: Emotions and behaviors can spread rapidly through a crowd, a phenomenon known as social contagion. When one person in a group starts to act in a particular way, others are likely to follow, leading to a collective behavior that can escalate quickly.
- Groupthink: Groupthink is a social psychological phenomenon where the desire for harmony and conformity in a group leads to irrational decision-making. In a mob, individuals may suppress their personal doubts and follow the group’s actions, even if they are harmful or illogical.
- Emergent Norm Theory: This theory suggests that new norms emerge within a crowd that guide behavior. When people gather, they look to others for cues on how to behave. If a dominant behavior emerges, it can quickly become the norm, influencing others to follow suit.
- Anonymity and Diffusion of Responsibility: In a mob, the sense of anonymity and the diffusion of responsibility can lead to actions that individuals would not take on their own. The feeling that they are just one of many can diminish personal accountability, making it easier to engage in aggressive or destructive behavior.
Conclusion
Mob behavior is a fascinating and multifaceted phenomenon that highlights the powerful influence of group dynamics on individual actions. By understanding the psychological and social factors that contribute to mob behavior, we can better comprehend why otherwise rational individuals might engage in irrational and sometimes dangerous actions when part of a crowd. Recognizing these factors is crucial for developing strategies to prevent and manage mob behavior, ensuring safer and more orderly public gatherings.
