Week 7- Group Mentality

Ambiguous situations, or situations where there can be multiple interpretations, can lead individuals to follow the rest of the group, as was discussed in class. This can be demonstrated in Zimbardo’s experiment, where the guards followed each other’s lead to see what they were supposed to be doing in that situation (Zimbardo, 2008). The ability to follow someone else or the rest of the group in situations where someone is unsure can lead to evil acts occurring, due to the inability to speak up. Another example in history is during the Nazi regime. The newer soldiers followed the other Nazis actions, even though they were evil due to the group mentality. This can be seen in many facets of life, not just evil actions, but it is one way to explain the reasons behind how evil actions occur in a group setting.

As we saw saw in Zimbardo’s prison experiment, people followed what others were doing when they were unsure. This happened to the prisoner’s families as well when they came to visit their sons, not just the guards. They asked for permission to touch the prisoners, and easily gave up time with them when they were asked to (Zimbardo, 2008). This was due to watching the other families and seeing that there were no protests from them, so the families were less likely to put up a fight. As you can see, it does not mean that these people are necessarily evil but it can lead to evil actions occurring when everyone follows the group.

It has been shown that participating in group triggers self-expansion in individuals, or the desire to enhance one’s personal efficacy. This self-expansion leads to acting on behalf of this group and tying their identity to being apart of the group (Besta et al., 2018). These individuals were also found to be more responsive to the goals of the group. This feeling can lead individuals to pursue collective goals, as a form of group efficacy (Besta et al., 2018). This study demonstrates the power of just being in a group, and how this can affects one’s identity and mentality. This definitely occurred in Zimbardo’s experiment, and Besta et al. (2018) study further gives insight into what may have happened during the extent of their time in the “prison” that made them change their identities so drastically in such a short amount of time.

In today’s society social media has become a big part of the group mentality. There is a novel that was on Oprah’s book list called “American Dirt”. This was initially praised by many people, including famous actress Selma Hayek. That was until it was bashed by critics for capitalizing on people’s suffering (Zimmerman, 2020). After social media blasted Selma Hayek for praising this book, she changed her tune within 24 hours, quickly apologizing for her actions. That is one thing, but she probably did not read the novel and just changed her mind based on other’s opinions. That being said, some did not take back their praise and stuck by it, even though people were coming at them (Zimmerman, 2020). This shows that the group mentality on social media also has an effect on how people will follow others and fuse their identity to the group itself, as Besta et al (2018) study discussed.

Overall, group mentality is something that has been around for decades and will still continue to be, in many different ways. Those that follow others in situations where they are unsure of what to do next, can commit evil acts in the process as they succumb to the rest of the group. Remember to think for yourself before you follow others!!!

References:

Besta, T., Jaśkiewicz, M., Kosakowska, B. N., Lawendowski, R., & Zawadzka, A. M. (2018). What do I gain from joining crowds? Does self‐expansion help to explain the relationship between identity fusion, group efficacy and collective action? European Journal of Social Psychology, 48(2), O152–O167. https://doi-org.proxy1.lib.trentu.ca/10.1002/ejsp.2332

Zimbardo, P. (2008). The Lucifer effect: Understanding how good people turn evil.  New York, NY: Random House Trade Paperbacks.

Zimmerman, J. (2020, February 3). ‘American Dirt’ controversy scores another win for mob mentality. The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved from https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/american-dirt-book-tour-canceled-salma-hayek-20200203.html