The term “mob mentality” is used to refer to unique behavioral characteristics which emerge when people are in large groups. It is sometimes used disparagingly, as the term “mob” typically conjures up an image of a disorganized, aggressive, panicked group of people. Social psychologists who study group behavior tend to prefer terms like “herd behavior” or “crowd hysteria.” The study of mob mentality is quite fascinating, and it is used to analyze situations which range from evacuations gone awry to the moment when demonstrations turn violent.
The larger study of herd behavior considers groups of all animals, not just humans. People have been observing group behavior of flocks, herds, gaggles, pods, kindles, and other assortments of animals for thousands of years, but it was not until the early twentieth century that observers started applying scientific theories about crowd behavior to humans. Several books published in the teens discussed mob mentality, along with various ways to combat it.
When used in a pejorative sense, the term implies a group of people that has gotten out of control. For example, in a news story about a store sale at which people were trampled, the journalist might use “mob mentality” to describe the selfish behavior of the people who attended the sale. Such stories illustrate the desperate actions which people will involve themselves in during a period of resource competition; people may mob trucks with relief supplies, trample each other at big box stores, or riot in the streets in response to resource scarcity or a perceived scarcity.
However, “mob mentality” is about more than just crowds that have gotten out of control. The field of psychology is very interested in the ways in which human behavior change in response to new social situations. People behave very differently in small groups of individuals than they do in big crowds, for example, and their behavior in crowds is affected by a wide variety of factors.
The study of group behavior can analyze situations to see where, when, and why they went wrong. Stock market crashes, for example, can be precipitated by mob mentality, as people start to panic in response to fluctuating markets. The evacuation of the Titanic, in which a small fraction of the available lifeboat space was utilized, is another great example of mob mentality, illustrating the need for organized evacuation plans and drills so that people know what to do in an emergency.
The study of crowds has also been used to study grim topics like the rise of anti-Semitism in Germany under Hitler, the riots between Muslims and Hindus which broke out when India was partitioned, and the genocide which took place in Rwanda in 1994. Psychologists hope that by studying mob mentality and crowd behavior, they can prevent such events from recurring.
What is Mass Hysteria
Mass hysteria is a phenomenon in which a group of people simultaneously exhibit similar hysterical symptoms. Technically, mass hysteria involves physical effects, such as headache, nausea, dizziness, or a trance-like state or seizure-like movements. However, the term is also commonly used to refer to any mass delusion, in which a group of people become governed by irrational beliefs or moral panic.Many cases of mass hysteria are controversial, as the supposed sufferers and even some observers feel that the term does not fully explain the phenomenon; for example, in the case of an alleged religious miracle or demonic possession affecting a large group of people. In addition, many people are reluctant to believe that intense physical symptoms they experienced were "all in their head."
Mass hysteria is most common in small, close-knit communities, particularly if they are isolated. Enclosed areas such as schools, factories, and hospitals are typical settings. There are two main types of mass hysteria: anxiety hysteria and motor hysteria.
Anxiety hysteria is shorter in duration, typically lasting a day. Symptoms may include nausea, light-headedness, headache, dizziness, and physical weakness. Often, this type of mass hysteria begins with the complaint of a single member of the group of something like an odd smell in the room. Others pick up on a perceived threat and begin to exhibit psychosomatic symptoms.
Motor hysteria is characterized by nervous twitching or spasms, trance-like states, and histrionic outbursts. It is slower to manifest than anxiety hysteria, building gradually over a few days or weeks, but can take weeks or months to subside. Motor hysteria commonly has a more severe and longstanding cause than anxiety hysteria as well; for example, brutal living conditions or excessive discipline.
Mass hysteria has been documented since ancient times, though it was not understood until recently as a socio-psychological phenomenon rather than a supernatural one. Throughout history, mass hysteria has frequently been the cause of moral panics that resulted in widespread rioting and even torture and executions, as in the case of witch-hunts and trials. Even though the phenomenon is better understood today, it remains mysterious and disturbing, and those who have been subject to mass hysteria do not always find the modern psychological explanation sufficient.
What Were the Salem Witch Trials?
The Salem Witch Trials happened in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692. 19 men and women were condemned to death during the Salem Witch Trials, and a number of others underwent jail terms and separation from their families. The Salem Witch Trials are often cited as an event of mass hysteria. Some historians suggest that there may have been political motives behind the trials, which also involved the transfer of a substantial amount of land and power.The Salem Witch Trials began in February of 1692, when several adult members of Salem Village accused three women of witchcraft. The women were Tituba, who served in the household of the Reverend Samuel Parris, along with Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne. The women were accused of causing illness in several children of the village, and they were sent to prison in Boston after being examined. The Salem Witch Trials might have ended here, as many accusations of witchcraft in the colonies did, but Salem Village was caught up in a witch hunting fever which continued unabated for over a year.
The initially accused women were relatively low in standing in Salem Village, and some historians have suggested that their accusations may have been designed to rid the village of a nuisance. However, the next two women accused, Rebecca Nurse and Martha Corey, were well respected in Salem Village, with gainfully employed husbands and high social status. At the same time, the circle of accusers was widening to include two young women, Abigail Williams and Mercy Lewis.
Accusations began flying thick and fast in April and May, with the first hanging in the Salem Witch Trials occurring on 10 June 1692, when Bridget Bishop was sentenced to death for appearing in spectral form to several members of the community. The Salem Witch Trials began to attract wider attention, with prominent figures of the day including Cotton and Increase Mather weighing in on the trials. Shortly after the hanging of Bridget Bishop, 12 Massachusetts ministers including Cotton Mather urged Salem Village to refrain from the use of spectral evidence in convictions.
In July, several individuals awaiting trial appealed for a change of venue, fearing that they could not get a fair trial in Salem Village. The Salem Witch Trials continued, with several individuals being sentenced to death. In September, one of the more gruesome scenes of the Salem Witch Trials took place, with Giles Corey was pressed to death because he refused to confess. During a jail visit, Increase Mather determined that many of those who had previously confessed wished to recant, raising questions about the legitimacy of prior convictions and confessions.
It was not until May 1693 that Governor Phips put a stop to the Salem Witch Trials, after they had torn the community apart and taken the lives of 19 individuals who were likely innocent. Historians have been debating the cause of the trials ever since, with the assistance of well archived trial material. Several theories have been posited for the trials, including the contamination of rye bread with ergot, a plea for attention on the part of the young women involved, or a calculated political move by Samuel Parris and the Putnams, who played a prominent role in the trials.
Under colonial law, the property of a convicted witch was ripe for the taking, and many historians have remarked on the interesting parallel between social status and conviction, with several holders of substantial plots of land being convicted and sentenced to death. The Salem Witch Trials are often pointed to as a particularly dark period in American history, when otherwise compassionate individuals turned on their friends and neighbors. The phrase “witch hunt” has also come to be associated in the American vernacular with a particularly vicious attack using faulty evidence.