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Unit 1

Collective Behavior: Concept,

meaning, types; crowds, mobs and
study of collective behavior
1.1 Introduction
Collective behaviour is voluntary, often spontaneous activity that is
engaged in by a large number of people and typically violates dominant-
group norms and values. Unlike the organizational behaviour found in
corporations and voluntary associations, such as environmental organizations,
collective behaviour lacks an official division of labour, hierarchy of authority,
and established rules and procedures. Unlike institutional behaviour (in
education, religion, or politics, for example), it lacks institutionalized norms
to govern behaviour.
Any behavior that takes place between two or more persons is known
as collective behavior but some social scientists say that ‘the behaviour of
individual under impulse that is common and collective and that is the result
of social interaction and it includes the study of coordinated and organised
Social Movements and the other point, collective behaviour refers to the
spontaneous eruption of an episodic event. Collective behavior is not the
same thing as group behavior because of few reasons, the first collective
behavior is typically time-limited, it involves short social interactions,
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whereas the group tends to remain together longer and socialize for extended
periods of time. Secondly, while collective behavior is time limited it isn’t
socially limited.
The term collective behavior was first used by Franklin Henry
Giddings in the year 1908, and it was used to denote any spontaneous or
unplanned reaction as well as action recorded from a group of people.
However, collective behaviors of animals are also studied when kept
under certain controlled environments to learn more about the species
Sociologists usually use this term for any behavior involving more
than one person. It is done primarily, to explore mankind and put man under
the microscope as a “social animal”.
We are taught, since our childhood, about social norms and values,
and that we must always adhere to the rules of the society. I t is seldom that
we do not practice planned social behavior; we mostly do what is expected
of us. But there is another facet of our social lives which is not very well-
structured or planned.
This is the part of our social life where we behave rashly, spontaneously
and without a clear picture in our minds. Sociologists term this dimension
of our social lives “collective behavior”. There is almost always a social
order around us and not often do we step outside this prescribed sphere.
Collective behavior deals with recording the manifestation of this disorder.
Sociologist use this term, for any group of people, says two or more
who share some similar characteristics. They are quite episodic and irrational;
people who engage in these activities would not generally do so under any
normal circumstance.
They are fairly short-lived and emotional, such episodes strike a chord
among the people and they behave emotionally.
They are very unstable and unstructured in the sense that they arise
out of an impromptu situation and they are highly non-traditional, they do
not adhere to the conventions of our society, therefore short-lived.
Factors That Contribute to Collective Behavior
1. Structural factors that increase the chances of people responding in a
particular way.
Collective Behaviour 3

2. Timing
3. Breakdown in social control mechanisms and corresponding feeling
of normlessness.
1.2 Crowd and Mass Behavior
Crowd is a relatively large number of people who are in one another’s
immediate vicinity.
·They Tend to share an interest
Mass is a number of people who share an interest in a specific idea or
issue but are not in one another’s immediate vicinity. Eg: Politicians
Types of Crowd Behavior
1. Expressive crowds: People releasing emotions with others who experience
similar emotions. Expressive Crowds are of three types. Casual Crowds,
Conventional Crowds and Protest Crowds. Eg: Funerals, religious services.
I. Casual crowds: people who happen to be in the same place at
the same time. Eg: Mall, subway
II. Conventional crowds: People who come together for a
scheduled event and share a common focus. Eg: Sporting events,
concerts
III. Protest crowds: Crowds that engage in activities intended to
achieve political goals. Eg: Civil disobedience or acting crowd.
2. Acting crowds: Crowds so intensely focused that they may erupt into
violent behavior. Types of Acting Crowds include Mob, Riot and Panic. Eg:
All crowds can become acting crowds.
I. Mob: A highly emotional crowd whose members engages in, or
is ready to engage in, violence against a specific target.
· Person, category of people, or property.
II. Riot: Violent crowd behavior that is fueled by deep-seated
emotions but is not directed at a specific target.
· Not always a result of anger
III. Panic: A form of crowd behavior that occurs when a large number
of people react to a real or perceived threat with strong emotions
and self-destructive behavior.
· People trying to escape from danger
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Explanations of Crowds Behaviour

Contagion Theory: People are more likely to engage in antisocial behaviour
in a crowd because they are anonymous and feel invulnerable.
Emotions, such as fear and hate, are contagious in crowds because
people experience a
Decline in personal responsibility and do things that they would never
do when acting alone.
Circular Reaction Theory: The interactive communication between persons
such that the discontent of one person is communicated to another, who, in
turn, reûects the discontent back to the ûrst person.
Convergence Theory: People with similar attributes ûnd a collectivity of
like-minded persons with whom they can express their underlying personal
tendencies.
People may reveal their true selves in crowds, so their behaviour is
not irrational: it is highly
Predictable to those who share similar emotions or beliefs
Emergent Norm Theory: Emphasis on social norms in shaping crowd
behavior. Crowds develop their own deûnition of the situation and establishes
norms for behaviour that ûts the occasion.
Emergent norms occur when people deûne a new situation as highly
unusual or see a long-
Standing situation in a new light. Emergent norm theory points out
those crowds are not irrational
Critics note that proponents of this perspective fail to specify exactly
what constitutes a norm,
How new one emerge, and how they are so quickly disseminated and
accepted by a wide variety of participants.
Mass Behavior
Mass behavior is behavior that occurs when people (may not be in
same area) act in the same way.
·Results from having common information
·Rumors
·Gossip
Collective Behaviour 5

1.3 Features of Collective Behavior or Its Characteristics

1. Spontaneous and episodic: it takes place occasionally and it’s a
spontaneous
2. Unstable: It is not stable, not hastened to live in short time does not
have goals values like institutionalized behavior
3. Irrational: this type of behavior is guided by beliefs, fears, and hatred
etc., in this situation no one takes decisions logical and rational basis
4. Non Traditional: It is not clearly defined according to any cultural
norms and values, in this type of situation formal authority fails

1.4 Types of Collective Behavior

Types of collective behavior include crowds, mobs, riots, mass
hysteria, panic, craze, fad, fashion. It is the opinion of some psychologists
that there are three fundamental emotions of human beings, joy, fear, and
anger. Similarly, there are three corresponding types of crowds expressing
these emotions, ‘craze’ which expresses joy, ‘panic’ which expresses fear,
and ‘hostility’ which expresses anger. The crowd can be a casual crowd, like
people in a shopping mall, or an organized crowd, as in the people at any
function or social gathering. Every time a crowd turns violent, it is called a
mob. They are inherent of a violent disposition, rising out of spontaneous,
passionate upheavals. Riots are more planned than mobs, they take time to
take shape and finally the outburst sets in.
Mass hysteria and panics and the most unprompted of all collective
behaviors. They are a shared feeling of unrest over the same matter or subject.
They take no time to set in and are very short-lived. Fads and fashion are
another important part of collective behavior. They take a while to be in
motion and die down eventually. It is the kind of behavior coming from
people who pursue things very passionately, so passionately that they start
taking it up as a way of living. Ranging widely from food to clothing, jewelry,
hairstyles, and music. They are a very important facet of collective behavior
as they demonstrate instantly the concept of it.
For example, in fashion, there can clearly be seen the demarcation
from bell-bottoms to stretchable pencil-pants and finally to faded-ripped
jeans. People follow these fashions to feel a sense of belonging, and trendy.
 6 Social Work Profession : Philosophy and Concepts

Studies of collective behavior are very significant to truly understand

mankind and to some extent, ourselves. They arise each time there is a mutual
sense of belonging or unrest to a particular situation. They take place each
time the social norms and values stand unclear, and the mass has nothing to
abide by.
Collective behaviour”>Collective Behaviour, Social Movements, And
Social Change 2014-11-27
- Form of crowd behaviour that occurs when a large number of people
react to a real or Perceived threat with strong emotions and self-
destructive behaviour
Protest Crowds:
- Engage in activities intended to achieve speciûc political goals
- Some protests sometimes take the form of civil disobedience
- Civil Disobedience:
- Nonviolent action that seeks to change a policy or law by choosing
not to comply with it.
Explanations of Crowds Behaviour: Contagion:
- People are more likely to engage in antisocial behaviour in a crowd
because they are
Anonymous and feel invulnerable
- Emotions, such as fear and hate, are contagious in crowds because
people experience a Decline in personal responsibility and do things
that they would never do when acting alone
Circular Reaction:
- The interactive communication between persons such that the
discontent of one person is
Communicated to another, who, in turn, reûects the discontent back
to the ûrst person
Convergence Theory:
- People with similar attributes ûnd a collectivity of like-minded persons
with whom they can Express their underlying personal tendencies
Collective Behaviour 7

- People may reveal their true selves in crowds, so their behaviour is

not irrational: it is highly Predictable to those who share similar
emotions or beliefs
Emergent Norm Theory
- Emphasis on social norms in shaping crowd behaviour
- Crowds develop their own deûnition of the situation and establishes
norms for behaviour that ûts the occasion
- Emergent norms occur when people deûne a new situation as highly
unusual or see a long- Standing situation in a new light
- Emergent norm theory points out those crowds are not irrational
- Critics note that proponents of this perspective fail to specify exactly
what constitutes a norm,
How new one emerge, and how they are so quickly disseminated and
accepted by a wide Variety of participants.
Mass Behaviour
- Collective behaviour that takes place when people respond to the same
event in much the Same way
- The most frequent types of mass behaviour are rumors, gossip, mass
hysteria, fads, Fashions and public opinion
Mass Hysteria:
- A form of dispersed collective behaviour that occurs when a large
number of people react With strong emotions and self-destructive
attitudes
Fads and Fashion
- A temporary but widely copied activity enthusiastically followed by
a large number of people
- Currently valued style, behaviour, or way of thinking
Public Opinion
- Consists of the political attitudes and beliefs communicated by
ordinary citizens to decision Makers