Rather, crowd behavior reflects the behavior and attitudes of the individuals who decide to join a crowd. Theories of crowd behavior theories of crowd behavior. The theory is first developed by gustave le bon in his book called the crowd. Social psychologists have been studying all relevant topics relating to mob mentality and surmised that there are three psychological theories to crowd behavior. A set of additional issues which are likely to arise in the preparation for, and management of, the crowds which will most likely be attracted to very large scale crowd events, which take place over multiple days and across multiple sites. The idea behind convergence theory is that people of like mind come together for a particular purpose and form a crowd. Mein kampf has been called a poor persons the crowd. Thus, crowds amount to a convergence of likeminded individuals.
Convergence theory holds that crowd behavior is not a product of the crowd itself, but is carried into the crowd by particular individuals. In other words, while contagion theory states that crowds cause people to act in a certain way, convergence theory says the opposite. A combination of the theories of convergence and contagion, the emergent norm theory states that crowd behavior is the product of the convergence of likeminded people, the sense. The primary criticism of convergence theory is that there is a tendency for people to do things in a crowd that they would not do on their own. The book, published in english in 1900 under the title criminal man, solidified the links.
The primary criticism of convergence theory is that there is. The art of contrarian trading reveals techniques for identifying and exploiting the investment opportunities that arise when crowdbased groupthink causes markets to become overvalued or undervalued. Introduction to sociologycollective behavior wikibooks. Convergence theory article about convergence theory by the. Convergence theory holds that crowds form from people of similar dispositions, whose actions are then reinforced and intensified by the crowd. Guidance and lessons identified, in order to better appreciate the derivation of the guidelines. This group mind theory had a huge impact, it was not only the rst psychological theory on crowds, but it also coined crowds as extraordinary. The people attending a baptist revival service share a number of characteristics which from those of a racetrack crowd. It becomes a reflection of the combined attitudes of the individuals who have joined the crowd. Collective behavior and social movements 2012 book archive.
There are three main theories on collective behavior. Convergence theory convergence theory argues that the behavior of a crowd is not an emergent property of the crowd but is a result of likeminded individuals coming together. Another argument, convergence theory, proved to be a better explanation of crowd. This theory assumes that crowd behavior reflects the preexisting value, beliefs, and behavioral disposition of the individuals who join a crowd. Crowds have an anonymizing effect on people, leading them to engage in sometimes outlandish behavior. A less popular conception of collective behavior, convergence theory, stems from early psychological theories of sigmund freud and floyd allport, and was further developed by neal miller and john dollard. It is a view first put forward by clark kerr and colleagues in the 1960s. According to contagion theory, crowd influence the behavior of an individual with in a crowd. The first, the emergentnorm perspective, emphasizes the importance of social norms in crowd behavior.
This theory might be applied to lynch mobs and environmental protests. Convergence theorists such as, reicher 1984, and mcphail 1991, argue that individuals within a crowd do not loose personal identity, as stated in the contagion theory, but they communicate personal beliefs and values so that the crowds behaviour is that of similar feeling. A crowd then arises from convergence of people who oppose the presence of these neighbors. The origin of superstition lies in mob mentality psychology, as well. Convergence theory whereas the contagion theory states that crowds. The second theory discussed was the convergence theory. Social scientists have developed theories to explain crowd behavior. In the following decades, theories of crowd behavior such as the convergence theory, the emergent norm theory or the social identity theory emerged.
Convergence theory crowd behavior reflects the beliefs and intentions that individuals already share before they join a crowd. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Interested in understanding crowd events and management from the perspective of experts in the field. A study of the popular mind, attributed crowd behavior to the collective racial unconscious of the mob overtaking individuals.
Though it cannot be denied that the crowd also possesses a capacity for constructive work, yet it is its destructive character which has forced sociologists and psychologists to devote their attention to it. People bring shared emotions, goals, and beliefs to crowd behaviour. That time of the year already, quite hard to believe. In other words, if a crowd becomes violent a mob or riot, convergence theory would argue that this is not because the crowd encouraged violence but rather because people. Convergence theory presumes that as nations move from the early stages of industrialization toward becoming fully industrialized, they begin to resemble other industrialized societies in terms of societal norms and technology.
Collective behavior scholars now believe that collective behavior is much more rational than contagion theory assumed. We would recommend reading this report as a supplement to understanding crowd behaviours. Convergence theory is one of the theories that presented this new understanding of collective behavior. First things first, all of us at theory of convergence wish you an amazing year 2019, may all your wishes come true.
The transformation of individuals into a crowd, in terms of the loss. It asserts that people with similar attributes find other. Beyond freedom and dignity, in which he argued that free will. As a historian and philosopher his works reflected more of political and social opinions. The convergence theory, in history and sociology, states that all industrial systems, whether capitalist or communist, would converge in their social, political and economic systems because of the determinant effects of technological development. Pdf crowd behaviour and collective action researchgate.
When a group of people forms in an emotionally charged situation, contagion theory states that if you join them, you will tend to become part of them and. Crowd psychology the art and popular culture encyclopedia. He argues, when we get together in a crowd, we literally become submerged in the crowd, we lose our individuality. Lebon has put forth some important point to explain the causes of action crowd or mob. Convergence theory claims that crowd behavior is not irrational. Like contagion theory, convergence theory relatively. Study 59 terms sociology exam 4 flashcards quizlet. In other words, crowd behavior is not spontaneous but planned, aimed to achieve certain goals and. Appears to be a technological view of marxism, which dominates social theory. The dynamics of collective social behavior in a crowd. He argues, when we get together in a crowd, we literally become submerged in the. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Mar 08, 2017 the origin of superstition lies in mob mentality psychology, as well.
The convergence theory has gained currency among various intellectual circles in the west. Media convergence is a theory in communications where every mass medium eventually merges to the point where they become one medium due to the advent of new communication technologies. Developed by floyd allport 1924 and later expanded upon by neil miller and john dollard 1941 as learning theory, the central argument of all convergence theories is that collective behavior reveals the otherwise hidden tendencies of the individuals who take part in the episode. Convergence theory convergence theory holds that crowd behavior is not a product of the crowd itself, but is carried into the crowd by particular individuals. Theories of the crowd behaviour theories crowd social.
In other words, crowd behavior is not spontaneous but planned, aimed to achieve certain goals and objectives. Convergence theory claims that crowd behavior as such is not irrational. Moscovici, the french social psychologist, argues that it doesnt only theorize, it created the mass politics of the 20 th and the 21 st century, and le bons book was cited by mussolini, by goebbels. Convergence theory proposes that crowd behavior is the product of likeminded individuals coming together and is not an inherent characteristic of the crowd itself. Section 5 concludes by pointing out some of the problems still needed to be addressed in order to permit a better convergence between economics and psychology. Turner and killian 1957 theorized that instead of crowd behavior being normless, individual crowd members were simply following new norms rather than traditional ones. The expression collective behavior was first used by franklin henry giddings 1908 and. See comassetsb2cportalstatic%20filesheathroweastpressstatementfinal. In other words, if a crowd becomes violent a mob or riot, convergence theory would argue that this is not because the crowd encouraged violence but rather because people who wanted to. While the theories of le bon, freud and others are based on the structure of personality and the manner in which the individual is changed by the crowd, turner employs the concepts derived from the study of small groups. Speaking of wishes, we also hope ours come true 2018 was quite a transition for us with a number of updates.
According to this theory, crowds do not unduly influence. Contagion theory is a theory of collective behavior which explains that the crowd can cause a hypnotic impact on individuals. In the convergence theory, the influences of a crowd do not encourage or dictate the actions of a person. Sep 30, 2019 convergence theory presumes that as nations move from the early stages of industrialization toward becoming fully industrialized, they begin to resemble other industrialized societies in terms of societal norms and technology. Convergence theory holds that crowd behavior is not a product of the crowd itself, but is carried into the crowd by particular people. This theory assumes that individuals act irrationally as they come under the hypnotic influence of a crowd. It was the mood and imagery particular to an immediate situation which caused these new norms. Written by leading investment blogger carl futia, this book explains in detail why markets are driven by crowd behavior and shows how crowdbased. It forms part of the understanding crowd behaviour research report series. Convergence theory assumes that crowd behavior reflects the preexisting values and beliefs and behavioral disposition of the individuals who join a crowd. Some promoters of convergence theory, such as andrei sakharov, a russian dissident, human rights activist, and nuclear physicist, advocated the development of convergence theory as a way to lessen. Thus, crowds amount to a convergence of likeminded people.
Convergence theory is an explanation of collective behavior opens in new window assuming that individuals with similar needs, values, or goals tend to converge to form a single group. The third theory discussed was the emergent norm theory. This theory assumes that crowd behavior reflects the preexisting value, beliefs, and behavioral disposition of the individuals who join a. Contagion theory, convergence theory, and emergentnorm theory. Apr 07, 20 an abstract examination of collective behavior which presumes that cultural movements, masses and mobs take place whenever people with like needs, morals, characters, or objectives unite. Instead, the behavior of the crowd is already a reflection of how a person thinks or feels. This shaped the general view on crowds as it became a widely accepted explanation for crowd behaviour. The books and articles about them are far more numerous than the sum of studies of. What book should i read to understand crowd psychology. Being that the group united merely out of their like concerns for the legislation would make them applicable to the convergence theory. According to this theory, crowds do not unduly influence individuals to act in emotional and even violent ways. Crowd psychology, also known as mob psychology, is a branch of social psychology.
Collective behavior is noninstitutionalized activity in which several people voluntarily engage. Convergence theory definition, discussion and examples. The following points highlight the four important theories of crowd behaviour. Convergence theory argues that the behavior of a crowd is not an emergent property of the crowd but is a result of likeminded individuals coming together. Jan 20, 2012 convergence theory holds that crowd behavior is not a product of the crowd itself, but is carried into the crowd by particular people. Convergence theory maintains that crowd behavior develops because individuals with shared. Understanding attitudes and behaviors article pdf available in journal of applied security research vol. Therefore, in arguing against the convergence theory, marxists must use a differentiated approach with respect to different proponents of this theory. University of groningen understanding crowd behaviour. Some of its proponents are socially and politically reactionary, and others are more or less progressive. However, convergence theory says that, individuals gather at one place intentionally because they share same objective and motives. There are three different forms of collective behavior. Convergence theory is an opposing theory to the contagion crowd behavior theory, which proposed that people tend to get caught up in the attitude and behavior of the crowd.
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