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examBoard: AQA
examType: GCSE
lessonTitle: Personality and Collective Behaviour
Have you ever wondered why some people get swept up in crowd behaviour while others hold back? Or why certain individuals become leaders during group situations? The answer often lies in personality traits. This fascinating area of psychology explores how our individual differences affect how we behave when we're part of a larger group.
Key Definitions:
Research shows that certain personality traits can predict how someone might behave in a crowd. For example, people who score high on extraversion tend to be more likely to join in collective activities, while those high in neuroticism might experience more anxiety in crowd situations.
Even in the midst of collective behaviour, our personality still influences our actions. Someone with high agreeableness might go along with a crowd's behaviour to maintain harmony, while someone with high openness might question the crowd's actions.
The Big Five personality traits provide a useful framework for understanding how personality influences collective behaviour. Each trait can affect how we behave in crowds:
Extraverts tend to be more comfortable in crowds and may take on leadership roles. They're often more likely to participate in collective activities like protests or celebrations.
People high in openness might be more willing to join new or unconventional collective movements. They may question group norms rather than simply following along.
Highly agreeable people might conform to crowd behaviour to maintain social harmony, even if they personally disagree with the actions.
Conscientious individuals may resist impulsive crowd behaviours and consider consequences before acting. They might take on organising roles in structured collective activities.
Those high in neuroticism might experience more anxiety in crowds and be more susceptible to emotional contagion picking up on and being affected by the emotions of others in the group.
Studies have found that personality traits can predict participation in collective actions like protests. For example, openness to experience has been linked to activism.
Another important personality concept is locus of control whether you believe events in your life are controlled by you (internal locus) or by external factors (external locus).
People with an internal locus of control believe they can influence events and outcomes. In crowd situations, they may:
Those with an external locus of control believe events are determined by outside forces. In crowd situations, they may:
Research by Stott and Reicher (1998) examined football fans' behaviour during matches. They found that individuals with different personality traits responded differently to the same crowd situations:
This shows how personality can influence whether someone joins in with potentially problematic crowd behaviour or resists it.
Self-esteem how we value and perceive ourselves can significantly impact how we behave in groups.
People with high self-esteem may:
People with low self-esteem may:
The concept of authoritarian personality, developed by Adorno et al. (1950), suggests some people are more likely to follow authority figures and conform to group norms.
Characteristics of authoritarian personality include:
In collective situations, people with authoritarian personalities may:
While not specifically about crowds, Milgram's famous obedience study (1963) showed how personality factors influenced obedience to authority. Participants with more authoritarian personalities were more likely to continue administering what they thought were painful electric shocks when ordered to do so.
This research helps us understand how personality traits can influence whether someone follows group or authority directives, even when those directives conflict with personal moral standards.
Understanding the relationship between personality and collective behaviour has important real-world applications:
Remember that while personality is important, situational factors also play a crucial role in determining collective behaviour. The interaction between personality and situation is what ultimately shapes how people behave in groups.
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