Deindividuation Psychology Definition | Deindividuation Examples

Deindividuation Psychology Definition

What is Deindividuation?

Deindividuation is a psychological term that refers to the action of losing one’s sense of self. It can be attributed to a variety of situations, including group-think or mob behavior.

In relation to social psychology, it occurs when individuals forget about their personal identity and assume the collective identity of those around them.

Deindividuation is typically associated with aggression. They are less likely to consider how their actions will affect others due to loss of personal accountability and responsibility for their actions in a given situation.

It is a term that describes the state of losing one’s sense of individuality. In other words, deindividualization occurs when you no longer feel like an individual because your attention is directed towards the group and not yourself. It can be thought of as a loss of self-awareness or individuality.

Deindividuation Examples

Deindividuation also occurs when people are group watching their favorite soccer team.  For example, when people are in a room watching, they’re punching the air, shouting, and shaking their heads frantically-behaviors they wouldn’t engage in if they weren’t a part of a crowd.

What are Common Examples of Deindividuation Situations?

• When a person is in a large group, they are less likely to be identified and held accountable for their actions.
•  Deindividuation can lead to people acting more impulsively or aggressively than if they were alone.
• The anonymity of the crowd may cause people to feel like they have no responsibility for their actions.
• When people are in a large group, and they lose their sense of individual identity.
• When people are wearing masks or costumes that obscure their faces.
• When there is an absence of social norms, rules, and regulations

Origin of Deindividuation Theory

Deindividuation theory was first proposed by social psychologist John M. Levine, who suggested that anonymity causes people to perceive their behavior as less constrained by social norms and more subjectively excusable, thus increasing disinhibition, impulsivity, aggression, and violent behavior.

Deindividuation is the process by which a person’s sense of individuality becomes diminished as they are absorbed into a group. In other words, deindividuation is when psychological and social processes that normally function to suppress our behaviors and thoughts in everyday life become suspended.

Deindividualization refers to a state of decreased self-awareness in which people pay less attention to their own attitudes and behavior, feel less responsibility for their actions, or experience reduced awareness of their individuality.

Causes of Deindividuation

What are the causes of Deindividuation?

Deindividuation is a psychological term that refers to the loss of self-awareness and sense of responsibility felt by individuals in groups. This loss of individual identity can lead to an increase in antisocial behavior. It can be caused by;

• A lack of social norms and expectations.
•  Deindividuation is caused by a lack of social norms and expectations.
• The feeling of anonymity.
• Actors such as anonymity, group size, or physical distance from others. When people are in a large group, and they lose their sense of individual identity.
• When people are wearing masks or costumes that obscure their faces.
• When there is an absence of social norms, group rules, and regulations
• A lack of self-awareness
• An inability to recognize the boundaries between oneself and others.
•  A feeling that one’s actions will not be attributed to oneself individually

Group Polarization

Group Polarization Definition: What is Group Polarization?

Group polarization is a phenomenon in which group discussion tends to make individuals with extreme views more convinced of their position. When this occurs, the groups are said to experience “groupthink.” Group polarization was first described by Irving Janis in 1972 and popularized by Cass Sunstein and Reid Hastie’s book entitled “Getting Beyond Groupthink to Make Groups Smarter.”

“Group polarization occurs when a deliberating group moves toward greater extremity in its positions relative to the initial position of its members.

The phenomenon is primarily found among groups whose purpose is decision making, and secondarily observed for groups whose activity includes debate.” Group polarization can be explained through social identity theory when people’s views become more extreme after discussion with like-minded others

Example of Group Polarization

For example, a group of women who hold moderately feminist views tends to exhibit heightened pro-feminist attitudes preceding a group discussion.

How to avoid group polarization

• Recognize that group polarization is a real phenomenon.
•  Seek out people who are different from you and have different opinions.
• Please get to know the other person’s point of view before disagreeing with them.
•  Be aware of your own biases, such as confirmation bias or the backfire effect.
• Consider the arguments on both sides of an issue before forming your opinion.
•  Seek out information that opposes what you believe to be true.
• Listen to all viewpoints and don’t interrupt when someone is speaking.
• Be open-minded about new ideas, even if they contradict what you believe.
• Diffence Between Deindividuation and Group Polarization

Deindividuation is the loss of one’s sense of individuality in a group setting. In contrast, Group polarization is when members of a group become more extreme in their thinking due to the presence of other like-minded individuals.

Both deindividuation and group polarization can have negative effects on decision-making processes.

Deindividuation is the loss of self-awareness and sense of responsibility that comes from being part of a group. In contrast, group polarization occurs when a cohesive group, or crowd, reaches more extreme decisions than those individual members would have reached on their own.

In deindividuation, people are less likely to be concerned about how they look or sound because they feel anonymous in the group.

The opposite is true for group polarization; individuals will conform to what others think and do within the cohesive group.

The two concepts are not mutually exclusive, as deindividuation can lead to group polarization.

Groupthink

Groupthink Definition

Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within groups of people. The desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome.

Groupthink is when a group of like-minded people agrees without critically evaluating the decision because they want to fit in with the rest of the group.

What are examples of Groupthink?

Example of groupthink in the workplace and Business

An example of groupthink could be a group of employees of an organization with a rapidly becoming out-of-date product who cannot accept new alternatives for advancement in the industry.

Collectively, workers may live in a world where they cannot understand why their commodity is not being sold and may fail to recognize the economic reality that they cannot succeed without moving forward.

Example of groupthink in School

Groupthink can be witnessed in classrooms with the power of “invisible influence.”   When one student raises a hand, several others do as well.  When one student wants to read a certain book, so do several other students. That is groupthink.

Example of groupthink in sports

A soccer community that believes very strongly in one specific soccer team and only watches games that favor their ideal team and only interact with people who agree with them. The community will come to despise and mistrust people who disagree with them and may overestimate their power and influence.

Signs and symptoms of the occurrence of groupthink:

• An illusion of invulnerability;
• Collective efforts to rationalize;
• An unquestioned belief in the group’s inherent morality;
• Stereotyped views of rivals and enemies;
• Direct pressure on a member who expresses arguments against any of the group’s stereotypes, illusions, or commitments;
• Self-censorship of deviations from apparent group consensus;
• A shared illusion of unanimity;
• The emergence of self-appointed “mind guards.”

How to Avoid Groupthink

• Try to identify any commonalities in the group.
• Ask yourself, “What are we assuming?”
• Consider what might happen if you disagree with the majority opinion.
•  Seek out dissenting opinions and perspectives.
• Be vigilant of the groupthink phenomenon.
•  Encourage dissent and debate.
• Create a culture where people are not afraid to voice their opinions.
• Allow everyone in the group to have an equal say, regardless of rank or position.

Deindividuation and Groupthink

Deindividuation is a psychological phenomenon in which people lose their sense of individuality and self-awareness. In contrast, Groupthink is the tendency to think irrationally or act out against one’s better judgment when in a group setting.

Deindividuation is a process in which people are more likely to engage in risky behaviors because they feel less accountable for their actions. At the same time, groupthink is the tendency of groups to agree on decisions without critical evaluation. It occurs when group members want to maintain unity rather than have conflict.

Both of these phenomena can lead to an individual acting on behalf of the group without considering personal consequences.

Deindividuation can lead to an increase in violence, while Groupthink decreases the likelihood of violence.

Deindividuation Theory Examples