COLLECTIVE BEHAVIOUR

The Concept Of Collective Behaviour

The term “collective behaviour” refers to group behaviour
that is apparently not guided by the usual norms of
conduct.
Definition by N.J.Smeler:
Collective behaviour may be defined as
‘The relatively unorganized patterns of social interaction in
human groups’.

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Example
• If we consider a normal classroom situation in a
university. Students arrive more or less on time, they seat
themselves in an orderly way, they listen to lectures, take
notes, ask question at appropriate points, and finally leave
classroom, when the lecture is over. Everyone practice a
predictable fashion. But suppose a fire suddenly breaks
out in the classroom. Confusion prevails everywhere.
• The normal pattern of behaviour gets immediately disrupted.
The social behaviour becomes ‘unstructured’ and
‘unpredictable’. There are no norms to govern this behaviour.
There will be disorder and the students will be panic.
Sociologists use the term ‘collective behaviour’ to refer to
such a type of behaviour.
Characteristics Of Collective
Behaviour
• Collective behaviour is temporary in nature and is entirely an
unplanned one.
• This type of behaviour is not regulated by any set of rules or
procedures.
• Since this behaviour is not bound by any defined norms,it
becomes unpredictable.
• Anonymity encourges them to behave in an irresponsible
manner.
• It is an unusual event.
• Rumours and misinformation normally run rampant during
the course of collective behaviour.
• This kind of behaviour is triggered not only by rumours but
also guided by beliefs, hopes, fears etc.
• Collective behaviour, may in certain respects have a close
relationship with the broad cultural patterns of the
community.
Social Movement

According to Ian Robertson:

‘A social movement consist of a large number of people
who have joined together to bring about or resist social or
cultural change’.
Difficultes Involved In The Study Of
Collective Behaviour
• The first problem is that collective behaviour is
unstructured.
• Collective behaviour often occurs as a spontaneous
outburst.
• The concept of ‘collective behaviour’ has a very wide
range of meaning, in which we find a lot of variance.
A Theory Of Collective Behaviour
• Theory of collective behaviour has been made by Neil
Smelser (1962).
• Smelser argues that collective behaviour is essentially an
attempt by people to alter their environment particularly
when they are under conditions of uncertanity, threat or
strain.
Smelser Speaks Of Six Basic
Conditions
• Structural Conduciveness: This refers to the structured
elements within the society that make a particular form of
collective behaviour possible.
• Structural Strains: Situations such as poverty, conflict,
discrimination etc; lie at the base of much of collective
behaviour.
• Growth and Spread of Generalised Belief: Before any
collective action, people must develop some general belief
about the situation.
• Precipitating Factors
• Mobilisation for Action
• Operation of Social Control
Some Forms Of Mass Behaviour
• Collective behaviour that describes “the actions, thoughts
and feelings of a relatively temporary and unstructured
group of people”-can be separated into two categories;
• Crowd behaviour
• Mass behaviour
The Concept Of Mass And Mass
Behaviour
• A mass is not the same as crowd. A group of spectators
watching a cricket match constitute a ‘crowd’. But a large
number of people who watch same game at home on t.v.
constitute a ‘Mass’.
• Mass behaviour is unorganised, unsttuctured,
uncoordinated, individually chosen behaviour of masses.
SOME BASIC FORMS OF MASS
BEHAVIOR

 RUMOURS

 FASHION AND FADS

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 RUMOURS
 A rumour is information which travels from person to
person by word of mouth.

 A remour is information that is transmitted informally

from anonymous sources.

 A rumour may b true, false or a combination of truth

and falsehood.
 Rumours normally rise in situations where people are
deprived of information or where they do not trust the
official information they are given.

 It is also observed that people are mostly likely to

believe and spread rumours.

 Rumours are believed and spread because people need

and like them. (Horton and hunt)
 FASHIONS AND FADS
Fashions

 Fashions are currently accepted styles of appearance

and behaviour.

In simple, rural and tribal societies, fashions are not very
much apparent.
In modren complex societies, fashions are not only
rampant but also change very rapidly.

A new fashion is generally more likely to be accepted if it

does not differ too much from existing fashion.

There is no rule that fashion always originate among the

elite and spread towards the middle and lower classes.
THE FADS


 DEFINATION:
“A fad is a trivial, short lived variation in speech,
decoration, or behavior.”

• Fads differ from fashion in that they are more

temporary.

• Those who take interest in them are called ‘faddists’.

• A fad often provides a means of asserting personal
identity.

• They appeal young people, who often have less stable

identities.

• When a fad become wide spread, it loses its charm.

PANICS AND MASS
HEYTERIA
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
PANICS
 DEFINITION:
“Panic is an attempt to flee from an imagined or real
threat.”

• In the event of panic, people’s behavior is

uncoordinated.

• It is irrational, in a panic situation people’s action are not

appropriate.
 A sudden crises occurs. Since people are unprepared to
face it, they develop intense tension and great fear.

 Mutual cooperation breaks down and the situation

becomes more threatening.

MASS HYSTERIA
 DEFINITION:
“Mass hysteria is some of generalized anxiety about some
unknown situation.”

• Rumors play an important role in the development of

hysteria and panic.

• In extreme case mass hysteria can result panic.

• It is irrational and collective obssestional behavior.

• It is a form of groupthink, in which several people with

something in common begin to think in a same way.
CROWD BEHAVIOUR

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What is a crowd
• Definition:
1.“A crowd is a group of people who are physically close
together and share a common concern” (Wallace and
Wallace)
2.“Crowd is a collectivity of significant number of
individuals responding within a limited space to some
object of attention”
Examples:
A group of passengers at bus stop.
A group of people gathered in fish market to buy or sell
fish.
Characteristics of crowd
 Crowds are loose textured groups. They are not just
congregations of people. Physical closeness leads to social
interaction.
They vary greatly in character and behavior. However
they have certain characteristics in common. There are
following characteristics of crowd .
1. Suggestibility:
People in a crowd are said to be highly suggestible.
There exists heightened emotions and excitements in a
crowd. People are carried away by opinion, feelings and
action of one another. Emotions and excitements always
add to suggestibility.
2. Anonymity:
Individuals in crowd feel that their identities will remain
anonymous, they are relatively insignificant and they could
remain unrecognized.
 This feeling of anonymity add to the irresponsible
behaviour of its member.

3. Spontaneity:
A crowd is spontaneously formed and is highly temporary
in nature. Members of a crowd also tend to behave in more
spontaneous manner. And they are more likely to be
impulsive.
4. Invulnerability:
A crowd lack self-consciousness. Since their personal
identities are not recognized, they feel that they can
behave freely. They do not just bother about the hold of
social control mechanism.
Types or crowd
•Herbert Blumer (1951) has spoken four main types of
crowds:

1. Casual crowds:
The crowd that gathers around a specific event and its
members have little interaction with one another, are
known as casual crowds.

These crowds are most loosely structured of all crowds.

Individuals of these crowds have least emotional
involvement in the crowd. They can easily go away from it.
Example
A group of people forming a crowd at the spot of car
accident.
2. Conventional crowds:
These types of crowds are planned and relatively
structured.
A conventional crowd gathers for a socially sanctioned
purpose.
These are known as conventional crowds because their
behavior follows the established social norms and
conventions.
Example:
An audience filled with parents at a graduation
ceremony .
3. Expressive crowds:
This crowd gathers specifically for the purpose of letting out
emotions. They are organized to permit the personal
gratification of their members.
Example
A college dance, a religious revival meeting etc..

4. Acting crowds:
This crowd focuses its attention on a specific action or goal.
The members are generally angry at some force and want to
act against it. Comparatively it is least common one but
socially it is most significant of the four basic crowd types.
Example
 PTI Jalsa.
Theories of crowd behaviour
• There are two major theories of crowd behavior:
1.The contagion theory
2.The “Emergent Norms” theory

1.The contagion theory

This theory was proposed by Le Bon in 1895. he

suggested that:
“ collective mind” forms in a crowd and with this the
conscious personality of the individual members almost
disappear.

Members of a crowd are dominated by a single impulse

and act almost identically.
Individuals become susceptible to suggestions in crowds.
Cont..
people actually melt in the group and become
anonymous.
Since nobody notices what anyone says or does in a
crowd , one’s personal beliefs become less
important.
The collective belief is formed from the contagious
growth of a belief that is suggested and spread
throughout the crowd.
Members of a crowd are highly suggestible and look
to others for cues and behave in a less critical and
more irresponsible manner.
2. The “Emergent Norms” theory
It is the most accepted theory of crowd by turner and
killian(1972).
Supporters of this theory have charged that contagion
theory exaggerates the irrational and purposeless
components of crowd behaviour.
There are considerable differences in the motives, and
actions of crowd members.
Some of the people present in crowds may be more
impulsive, while the others are passive supporters.
Cont..
The unanimity of crowd is only an illusion.
Crowds are guided by the norms. but the norms are devised
as the crowd goes along.
New norms emerge in the course of social interaction.
These norms define appropriate behavior in a crowd
situation. These norms emerge from the visible actions of few
people.
The crowd itself evolves the norms and then enforces them
on its members.
“MOBS AND RIOTS ARE FORM
OF CROWD BEHAVIOUR”

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Types of Mob
• Two types of Mob:
• 1: Purposive and active mob
• 2: confused and random mob.
Riots
• The riots is another important form of crowd behavior.
• A riots is the action of a violently aggressive destructive
crowd
Audience as a crowd with a
difference
• Types of audience
• 1:Information seeking audience
• 2:recreation seeking audience
• 3:conversional seeking audience
Public and public opinion
• Public refers to an un organized aggregation of persons
who are bound by common opinion
desire but they have no personal relation ship.
Propaganda and its techniques
• Techniques of influencing human action by the manipulation
of representation.
• propaganda and its techniques
• 1: name calling
• 2: transfer
• 3: testimonial:- using for famous or respected people
• 4: Plain folks
• 5: Card stacking
Reference:
• Principles of sociology with an introduction to social thought
( C.N.Shankar Rao) chapter 37 Collective Behavior.
• Page no( 513-526)
Thank you 