Collective Behavior and Localized Collectivities

Collective Behavior

• Collective behavior is an unplanned, often unusual, activity involving a large number of people. It is sometimes controversial and dangerous.
• Collectivity is a large group of people whose minimal interaction occurs without well-defined or conventional norms.

Types of Collective Behavior

• Localized Collectivities: These are groups of people who are physically near each other, like crowds, mobs, or riots.

Types of Localized Collectivities

• Crowds: A temporary gathering of people who share a common focus of attention and influence each other. Examples include concerts, sporting events, political demonstrations, or large university registration halls.

  • Casual Crowds: A loose collection of people who don't interact much, like people on a beach or at an accident scene.
  • Conventional Crowds: Groups assembled with deliberate planning, such as a lecture or concert.
  • Expressive Crowds: People drawn together by a common emotional appeal, like religious revivals, New Year's Eve celebrations, or victory parties.
  • Acting Crowds: Groups driven by a single-minded purpose and strong emotions. These crowds can sometimes turn violent, resulting in a mob. Examples include people rushing a concert venue exit or a panicked escape from a mall after an event. Acting crowds are sometimes motivated to violence.

• Mob/Riot: A highly emotional crowd pursuing a violent or destructive goal. Riots are highly emotional, violent and undirected.

Theory Explaining Crowd Behavior

• Contagion Theory: Crowd members are influenced by the anonymity and contagious emotions of the group, overlooking individual responsibility.
• Convergence Theory: Like-minded individuals are drawn to the group, explaining common behaviors and goals.
• Emergent-Norm Theory: The crowd's behavior emerges from the shared norms and motives of the individuals in the group.

Dispersed Collectivities/Mass Behavior

• These forms of collective behavior involve people spread across a wide geographic area.

Types of Dispersed Collectivities

• Rumor and Gossip: These are unconfirmed pieces of information passed informally. They spread quickly, due partly to modern technology.

Characteristics of Rumor

• Rumor thrives in uncertainty.
• Rumors are unstable.
• Rumors are difficult to stop.

Public Opinion and Propaganda

• Public Opinion: Widespread attitudes about controversial issues.
• Propaganda: Information presented to shape public opinion. (Used in political speeches, commercials, etc.)

Fashion and Fads

• Trends in style and preferences.

Panic and Mass Hysteria

• Panic is a type of collective behavior where people react irrationally to a threat.
• Mass hysteria is a dispersed form of collective behavior where people react with intense fear to a real or perceived threat resulting in irrational or frantic reactions.

Disaster

• An unexpected event causing extensive harm to people and property.

Types of Disaster

• Natural Disasters: Floods, earthquakes, etc.
• Technological Disasters: Nuclear accidents, etc.
• Intentional Disasters: Wars, terrorist attacks, etc.

Social Movements

• Organized efforts that encourage or discourage social change.

Theory of Social Movements

• Deprivation Theory: Social movements arise from the feeling of being deprived of resources or rights compared to others.
• Mass-Society Theory: Isolated individuals seek membership in social movements for a sense of belonging.
• Control Theory: Social movements develop a shared understanding, motivating people to act collectively.
• Structural Strain Theory: Social movements emerge when people perceive significant issues and feel society has failed to meet their expectations.

This quiz explores the concept of collective behavior, highlighting its unplanned nature and unique characteristics. It delves into various types of localizations, such as crowds and their classifications including casual, conventional, and expressive crowds. Test your understanding of these social dynamics and their implications.