Herd mentality

Herd mentality, or mob mentality, describes how people are influenced by their peers to adopt certain behaviors, follow trends, and/or purchase items. Examples of the herd mentality include stock market trends, superstition and home décor. Social psychologists study the related topics of group intelligence, crowd wisdom, and decentralized decision making.

History

Herd mentality and herd behavior have been prevalent descriptors for human behavior since people began to form tribes, migrate in groups, and perform cooperative marketing and agricultural functions. The idea of a "group mind" or "mob behavior" was first put forward by 19th-century French social psychologists Gabriel Tarde and Gustave Le Bon. Herd behavior in human societies has also been studied by Sigmund Freud and Wilfred Trotter, whose book Instincts of the Herd in Peace and War is a classic in the field of social psychology. Sociologist and Economist Thorstein Veblen's The Theory of the Leisure Class illustrates how individuals imitate other group members of higher social status in their consumer behavior. More recently, Malcolm Gladwell in The Tipping Point, examines how cultural, social, and economic factors converge to create trends in consumer behavior. In 2004, the New Yorker's financial columnist James Suroweicki published The Wisdom of Crowds.

Mob Mentality (album)

Mob Mentality is a split 7" and album by Dropkick Murphys and The Business. Originally, the bands put out a split 7" single in December 1999 with the name Mob Mentality. This single consisted of three songs, two which were each band covering one of the other band's songs, and the third was an original song performed by both bands together. A year later, they released a full-length album with the three previous tracks and nine more. Of the twelve tracks, each band does four covers (two of which were covers of the other band's songs) and one reworking of a song they originally recorded. The other two tracks are two versions of "Mob Mentality", an original song performed by both bands together, credited to McBusiness.

"Informer" and "Mob Mentality [7" Version]" later appeared on the Dropkick Murphys' b-side album Singles Collection, Volume 2 (2005).

Song information

Track listing

7-inch record

Side A

Side B