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Deindividuation




   Deindividuation is a temporary loss of self-awareness, the self in a stand-by mode, powered down leaving the individual subject to influences of the situation and personal habit. With a diminished ability to think about themselves, they do not monitor or regulate themselves as they would. Impulses emerge that were previously held in check by deliberate self-control.



   Research shows people behave uncharacteristically dishonest, cruel and antisocial when they are deindividuated. At other times inhibitions are released in a positive pro-social behavior. Some people hold back expressing kindness, love and caring for fear of rejection or to appear soft-hearted. However if attention is diverted from themselves, they might not control their pro-social urges and may act more compassionately. So turning off the self is not always a bad thing, the costs often outweigh the benefits.





Mark Leary- Curse of the Self





   Anti-normative behavior is released in groups where individuals are not seen or paid attention to as individuals. Simply put the individual is immersed in the group to the point the individual ceases to be seen as such. Anonynimity and reduced public awareness contribute.



Leon Festinger



A series of input variables which created a kind of inferential subjective change in the individual.



Stanley Milgram



   With decreased self-awareness the individual no longer thinks of their own actions and how those actions fit into their self-concept, but rather focus on the group and how to fulfill their role within the group by complying with group norms.



    Deindividuation can heighten people’s responsiveness in a positive way. You walk into a party where people are sipping drinks and watching TV. By your sitting down and grabbing yourself a drink, you feel more at ease because you stand out less from the group.



   Deindividuation is related to the bystander affect where individuals do not offer help in an emergency situation when other people are present. By way of the principle of social influence bystanders monitor other’s reactions to see if others think it’s necessary to intervene. The social proof, since they see others are not doing anything, nothing is done.



   Group think is a thinking people get into when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group. The members striving for unaninimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action.



   Could deindividuation be the reactionary mode people get into when they don’t get what they want? Ranging from ‘just for that’ to ‘this is war’.
 
 
Wikipedia