Collective Behavior: An Examination of Some Stereotypes

Abstract

Current conceptualizations of the acting crowd are heavily influenced by LeBon, particularly those aspects of LeBon's formulation that emphasized the pathological and bizarre nature of crowd behavior. An examination of the characteristics imputed to the crowd indicates that many of them are not empirically valid. Further, many of the characteristics assigned to crowd behavior do not differentiate it from the behavior of other social systems. Sociologists have overstressed the “cultural” factors, and de-emphasized interaction in their studies of social conduct. One consequence of this emphasis has been to look to the characteristics of crowd members to account for the behavior of crowds. It is suggested the crowd be studied as a social system.