Transcript Collective Behavior and Acting Crowds: a

Collective Behavior and
Acting Crowds:
a sociological
understanding of
Ferguson, MO
Professor Vicky Herbel
October 8, 2014
St. Charles Community College
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Actions by a group of people who bypass
the usual norms governing their behavior
and do something unusual (Turner and
Killian 1987; Harper and Leicht 2002).
Collective Behavior
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Riots
Rumors
Panics
Mass Hysteria
Moral Panics
Fads & Fashions
Urban Legends
Forms Of Collective Behavior
Charles Mackay (1814-1889), a British
journalist, noticed that “country folks”,
who ordinarily are reasonable sorts of
people, sometimes “went mad” and did
“disgraceful and violent things” when they
formed a crowd.
 “Herd mentality - stampede
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How Crowds Change People
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About 50 years later, Gustave LeBon (18411931), a French psychologist, built on this
idea.
He stressed how people feel anonymous in
crowds, less accountable for their behavior.
Some develop feelings of invincibility.
A “collective mind” develops and people are
swept up by almost any suggestion.
Then contagion, like mass hypnosis, takes
over!
Collective Mind
 Robert
Park (1864-1944), a U.S.
sociologist added the idea of social
unrest.
 “Social unrest…is transmitted from
one individual to another…so that
the manifestation of discontent in A
[are] communicated to B, and from
B reflected back to A (Park and
Burgess 1921).
Social Unrest
 The
back and forth
communication between
members of a crowd.
 It creates a “collective
impulse” that comes to
“dominate all members of the
crowd.”
Circular Reaction
An excited group that moves toward a goal.
 Herbert Blumer (1900-1987) identified 5
stages that precede the acting crowd.
1. A background of tension or unrest.
2. An exciting event.
3. Milling – people standing or walking
around, talking about the exciting event.
4. A common object of attention.
5. Common impulses – stimulated by social
contagion.
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The Acting Crowd
 Acting
crowds aren’t always
negative or destructive.
 Organized and peaceful
demonstrations can fit the
definition of an Acting Crowd.
Acting Crowds
Ralph Turner and Lewis Killian (1987) use
the term Emergent Norms to express the
idea that life usually proceeds pretty
much as we expect. If something unusual
disrupts our usual life, however, ordinary
norms may not cover the new situation.
 To deal with new events, new norms may
emerge.
 Not everyone in a crowd shares the same
point of view.
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Emergent Norms
Turner and Killian (1987) point out crowds
have at least 5 kinds of participants.
1. Ego involved – have a personal stake in the
event
2. Concerned – personal interest but less so
than ego-involved
3. Insecure – care little about the matter but
join the crowd for a sense of power, security,
or belonging
4. Curious spectators – simply curious about
what’s going on
5. Exploiters – use the event for their own
purposes, perhaps even capitalize on the
event
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Crowd Participation
Exploitation