Example Of Mob Mentality

To make sense of mob mentality and the psychology/tactics of it, one has to know what it exactly is. In Source C, when the author thinks about mob mentality, “images of unruly crowds near the Bastille during the French Revolution” come to mind. While this is a good example of mob mentality, it can also occur within other circumstances. Another example of mob mentality is seen in Source B, where a “march and deadly assault on the Capitol” horrified people all across America. Within this group of mob mentality was a variety of people, most likely with different opinions, tactics, and mindsets. However, according to Source C, all groups of mob mentality have one thing in common. The author says, “those who have little or no money have nothing

Therefore, this can cause a crowd to “grow and progress into something that is far more erratic and unstable”, according to Source E. This can be done by word of mouth, social media, etc. The reason why mob mentality has the word “mob” in it is because it involves a large amount of people that have been told the same, biased thing. In Source C, the author describes this sharing of rumors by explaining that “each man shook his neighbor by the hand, and far and wide the word was given that the whole system must fall.” So, what is mob mentality in simple terms? Mob mentality is a large, unruly crowd that has a certain goal to accomplish in mind. However, it is also a source of bias, venting, and inclusiveness. All of these sources influence how mob mentality

According to Source C, social psychology gives us that deindividuation, identity, emotions, acceptability, anonymity, and diffusion of responsibility are prominent causes of mob mentality. It also says that “the larger the group or crowd, the more likely there will be deindividuation and diffusion of responsibility.” Deindividuation is the phenomenon that when people are in a crowd, they lose their consciousness and their everyday personality. According to Source D, this is “what compels people to do things in a group setting that they would never do on their own.” Source E infers that a “human’s natural desire to be included and accepted as part of the majority” causes this to happen. Therefore, Source E explains that people who want to find new ways of thinking and acting are prone to mob mentality because taking part in the ideologies of new groups as “anonymous members” can act as a starting point, or “middle ground”. This is common among people that don’t want to totally abandon their old behavior and lifestyle. The other common cause of mob mentality, diffusion of responsibility, is the perception that being in a group somehow takes away the individual responsibility of a person. Source D tells the reader that “people believe they won’t be held responsible for their actions if they think they are anonymous.” While anonymity never overrides responsibility, this phenomenon is present in everyone’s unconscious mind. Overall, the