Deindividuation
AO1
Key theorists: Festinger and Zimbardo
Loss of personal identity – made more anonymous
Control over behaviour weakened
Less concerned with observing social norms
Less concerned with how behaviour evaluated
Less likely to think of consequences
Inhibitions lowered – aggression more likely
One tends to relinquish personal control
Reasons why it leads to anti-social behaviour
1. Diffusion of responsibility: Responsibility shared among the group.
2. Disinhibition: Less easily identifiable as a group. Lower fear of
unpleasant consequences (punishment). Lose inhibitions.
3. Anonymity: Belonging to a group gives sense of identity. Personal
identity is merged with group.
A02
Rehm: Randomly assigned 10-11 year old German school children to
handball teams. One team: own clothes. One team: orange shirts – acted more
aggressively because they were deindividuated (less identifiable).
High ecological validity
No demand characteristics
X Hard to replicate
X Hard to control extraneous variables
Zimbardo: Stanford prison experiment. Two participant groups, guards &
prisoners. Prisoners identified by number wore smocks. Guards wore guard’s
uniforms and reflective sunglasses. Zimbardo told guards to keep peace and
not use violence. Findings showed guards used violence to maintain order.
Concluded that they became deindividuated and this caused aggression.
Supports because identities were removed and inhibitions lowered.
AO1
Key theorists: Festinger and Zimbardo
Loss of personal identity – made more anonymous
Control over behaviour weakened
Less concerned with observing social norms
Less concerned with how behaviour evaluated
Less likely to think of consequences
Inhibitions lowered – aggression more likely
One tends to relinquish personal control
Reasons why it leads to anti-social behaviour
1. Diffusion of responsibility: Responsibility shared among the group.
2. Disinhibition: Less easily identifiable as a group. Lower fear of
unpleasant consequences (punishment). Lose inhibitions.
3. Anonymity: Belonging to a group gives sense of identity. Personal
identity is merged with group.
A02
Rehm: Randomly assigned 10-11 year old German school children to
handball teams. One team: own clothes. One team: orange shirts – acted more
aggressively because they were deindividuated (less identifiable).
High ecological validity
No demand characteristics
X Hard to replicate
X Hard to control extraneous variables
Zimbardo: Stanford prison experiment. Two participant groups, guards &
prisoners. Prisoners identified by number wore smocks. Guards wore guard’s
uniforms and reflective sunglasses. Zimbardo told guards to keep peace and
not use violence. Findings showed guards used violence to maintain order.
Concluded that they became deindividuated and this caused aggression.
Supports because identities were removed and inhibitions lowered.
