Crowd Behavior Characteristics PDF

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION TO CROWD MANAGEMENT  Crowd Behavior Characteristics 1. Anonymity 2. Suggestibility 3. Contagion 4. Emotionality 5. Loosely structured 6. Unpredictable 7. Impersonality!  Anonymity Crowd likely to motivate each other to fol...

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION TO CROWD MANAGEMENT  Crowd Behavior Characteristics 1. Anonymity 2. Suggestibility 3. Contagion 4. Emotionality 5. Loosely structured 6. Unpredictable 7. Impersonality!  Anonymity Crowd likely to motivate each other to follow such behaviour. A contagion sweeps through the crowd like a virus that passes from one person to another. Turner (1978) defines this aspect of crowd behaviour as ‘interactional amplification’. As people interact, the response of the participants in the crowd increases in intensity towards the common event or situation. If some people in the crowd start throwing stones at police, or somebody else, their behaviour is likely to motivate others to do the same thing.  Suggestibility The participants in a crowd become highly suggestible as if they had been hypnotized. People become highly responsive to the suggestions of others, especially the leader of the crowd and thus their behaviour often becomes unpredictable. The tendency of individuals to go along with the crowd heightens leaps and bounds Crowd doing the wave  Contagion Crowd likely to motivate each other to follow such behaviour. A contagion sweeps through the crowd like a virus that passes from one person to another. Turner (1978) defines this aspect of crowd behaviour as ‘interactional amplification’. As people interact, the response of the participants in the crowd increases in intensity towards the common event or situation. If some people in the crowd start throwing stones at police, or somebody else, their behaviour is likely to motivate others to do the same thing.  Emotionality Crowd seems like forgetting about the situation and acting with emotion. Crowd behaviour is emotional and mostly impulsive. The participants in a crowd become highly emotional. Anonymity, suggestibility and contagion tend to arouse emotions. In crowd situation inhibitions are forgotten, and people become ‘charged’ to act. The members of the crowd do not know what they are doing. There can be no prediction what it is likely to do at any moment  Loosely structured "Loosely structured behavior" refers to actions or activities that are not strictly guided by rigid rules, procedures, or predefined frameworks. This type of behavior allows for flexibility, improvisation, and adaptability in various situations. It is often characterized by open-ended approaches, minimal formal constraints, and the freedom to make decisions based on the context or personal preferences.  Unpredictable It is very difficult to predict the behaviour of people, especially in acting crowd. A crowd in action can be a terrifying thing. In such crowds, the behaviour of members approximates most closely to the packs and herds of the lower animals. Crowd member’s act uncritically upon suggestions as such their behaviour becomes utterly unpredictable.  Impersonality Impersonality behavior refers to actions or conduct characterized by a lack of personal connection, emotional involvement, or subjective bias. It often involves treating individuals or situations in a neutral, objective, or standardized manner without regard to personal feelings, relationships, or unique circumstances. Some people in the crowd do not behave like other crowd member. The sense of individuality is almost removed in the crowd. Persons do not behave as individual members. The individual losses his/her personal restraints and sense of personal responsibility.