Crowd psychology contains its own phenomenon. If you delve into its effect, it will be easy to understand what it is and why mass riots are sometimes created.
Every person at least once in his life found himself in a crowd, an organized group of people. At the same time, we don’t even understand that we are under the influence of competent psychologists and their actions. After all, you need to be able to manage a crowd.
Read another interesting article on our website on the topic: “Why is it bad to answer a question with a question: on etiquette, psychology .
From this article you will learn what a crowd is, its psychology and behavioral characteristics. You will also read a lot of other interesting information. It will make it clear how you can influence a person and why people are manipulated. Read on.
What is a crowd, group and riots from the point of view of social psychology: briefly
Crowd, group, riots
A crowd is a collection of people who are emotionally excited and have direct contact with each other. The main distinguishing feature of a crowd is its spontaneous formation, as well as the lack of conscious common goals among people.
When interpreting the concept of “group ,” psychology primarily relies on interdisciplinarity, that is, on the sociological as well as the psychological paradigm. Understanding group psychology and social psychology occurs through analysis that examines the social groups being tested, identifying the details that turn them into a psychological community. In turn, it allows any individual person to identify with a certain group.
From the point of view of social psychology, the basis for mass unrest can be various reasons. For example:
- Policy
- National discord
- Provocations
- Protests
As a rule, riots arise spontaneously, due to unexpected circumstances. Their main psychological feature is the large number of people taking part in them. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account the fact that the psychology of a person caught in a crowd is sharply distorted, especially at the time of an extreme situation, when the mind is exposed to strong factors. This state of a person is called “Crowd Psychology” , and is caused by blindly following the general mass. This is the main driving force behind all riots.
Psychology and behavioral characteristics of a crowd, a person in a crowd
Psychology identifies several behavioral features inherent in the entire structure of a crowd or an individual within it, and manifested in several areas:
- Temperamental
- Cognitive
- Moral
- Emotionally-volitional
The crowd shows various oddities of behavior in the cognitive sphere:
- Unawareness
One of the main psychological features of the crowd is its complete unconsciousness. An isolated individual weakly listens to the voice of reason, which is why a large proportion of actions are committed in an emotional outburst, and the crowd completely denies logic and exists only by feelings. At the moment a crowd forms, especially in extreme situations, the so-called “herd instinct” begins to appear. The homogeneous takes precedence over the heterogeneous in a person - a particle of the crowd, and each individual succumbs to unconscious feelings. A person isolated from the crowd is able to suppress unconscious reflexes within himself, while the crowd is deprived of this ability.
- Imagination
The crowd is characterized by a well-developed imagination and receptivity to impressions. Images that are clear and obvious to an isolated person can capture the imagination of a crowd. These images, generated by someone in the mind of the crowd, are practically no different in their vividness from the real ones. At the same time, the imagination of people in the crowd is struck not by the facts as such, but by the way they are presented.
Another crowd effect is mass hallucinations. The mind of the gathered crowd tends to distort events:
- Features of thought processes . The crowd thinks in images. In turn, the image that appears in a person’s head begins to generate associations that are not logically connected with it. The crowd does not know how to distinguish between objective and subjective things. She doesn't think. The crowd completely rejects alien ideas; contradictions and disputes are unacceptable to them.
- Extremism. The energy of the crowd can be directed exclusively towards destruction. Within every individual there lies a dormant desire for destruction. It is dangerous for an isolated individual to succumb to destructive impulses, but once in a crowd and feeling impunity, a person easily succumbs to instincts.
Another curious feature of the crowd lies in the peculiarities of psychological as well as social phenomena that make the behavior of its participants uniform. The crowd is created on the basis of antagonism towards the object of discontent.
Once in a crowd, a person acquires several psychological characteristics that are not inherent to him as an individual. These features are of decisive importance for the behavior of a person caught in a crowd. The behavior of an individual in a crowd is determined by the following characteristics:
- Anonymity. An important feature of a person’s self-perception when falling into a crowd is a sense of anonymity. Having dissolved among people and begun to behave “like everyone else,” the individual ceases to bear responsibility for the actions he commits. This is the main reason for the cruelty that accompanies the actions of the aggressive masses. Participants in the pandemonium lose their identity and become nameless.
- Irresponsibility. Once in a crowd, an individual loses a sense of responsibility, which is always a deterrent.
- Degradation . Having become part of the crowd, the individual seems to decline in development. Even being a cultured person in everyday life, a crowd member can turn into a “barbarian.” The person becomes violent and ferocious. There is a decrease in the level of intelligence.
Also, a person caught in a crowd is characterized by increased emotionality.
Don't fall!
There are two main dangers in a crowd - being crushed or trampled. Both of these threats involve bodily harm of varying severity - from a concussion and multiple bruises to a spinal fracture, pneumothorax and internal hemorrhages leading to exitus letalis.
The first danger is that they will run you over! - in medical language it is called compression asphyxia, or, simply put, suffocation from compression. Unlike classic suffocation associated with damage to the respiratory tract, with strong compression from all sides, a person’s blood circulation is disrupted, venous blood does not enter the lungs, the walls of blood vessels become thinner, and pulmonary edema begins; rib fractures and ruptures of internal organs are also possible. According to statistics, more people die from compression strangulation in a crowd than from any other injury.
7. January 1, 2013: stampede at the Houphouet-Boigny stadium (Abidjan). Killed: 61 people. A crush occurred at the exit from the stadium, where New Year's festivities and fireworks were being launched. Most of the dead are children.
How to escape from this? If you are squeezed so tightly on all sides that it becomes difficult to breathe, do not try to push those around you and win living space for yourself - it won’t work anyway. It’s better to take your right lapel with your left hand (or vice versa, this is not important) and put your elbow forward. Now there is ten centimeters of free space in front of your chest, you can breathe calmly and look for ways to get out of here as quickly as possible.
The second danger is that they will trample you! — connected, of course, with falling in the crowd. Falling in a running crowd is the worst thing that can happen. Panicking or aggressive people will run straight at you, trampling you into the ground. Even if someone decides to stop, he won’t succeed, the crowd is stronger.
Once you fall, assume the fetal position. They turned over on their backs and hid their spine and kidneys. The chin is pressed tightly to the chest so as not to hit the back of the head on the asphalt. The hands are folded in front of the face, the knees are drawn up to the elbows, and the legs are tightly squeezed to cover the groin. You won't be able to lie there for long, so you have to get up.
In order to stand in a crowd, you need to grab the nearest leg of any person walking on you or next to you and begin to very quickly and aggressively climb up that leg, taking into account attempts to shake you back. Climb up like a monkey up a tree. It is quite possible that this person will fall in the process. Let's hope that he also read this article and will be able to stand up.
Crowd control: a phenomenon, the effect of psychological manipulation
Crowd
Crowd management is a complex process. This is a real phenomenon. In situations with an organized mass acting according to a certain algorithm, control is easy.
Like other psychological phenomena, crowd psychology is used by manipulators to achieve certain actions. The effects of psychological manipulation can be:
- Inducing the masses of people to your opinion
- Raising funds or selling a specific product
- Attacks on other people
- Vandalism
- Agitation
Important: In situations where a crowd forms spontaneously and shows aggression, it is impossible to stop it.
Loss of rational control: what does it mean to survive in a crowd?
Once in a crowd, an individual is influenced by its mood. What does this mean, what does it lead to?
- At this moment, it doesn’t matter what emotions he experienced before getting into the mass.
- A relaxed individual in a good mood, finding himself in an angry crowd, becomes infected by its aggression and begins to repeat aggressive slogans after everyone.
- Conversely, a depressed person in a bad mood is charged with optimism when he finds himself among a joyful audience.
In simple terms, a person loses rational control over his own emotions and mental state, succumbing to the influence of the majority. There is no understanding of how to get rid of such pliability. Avoiding the crowd is the only thing that can prevent a person from imitating it.
The loss of rational control leads not only to changes in mood, but also to more severe consequences. As an example, we can name the medieval rituals of burning witches. Even when a person is sure that the woman is innocent, succumbing to the anger of the crowd, he will throw branches into the fire.
Worth knowing: The consequences of losing control can be sadness and regret.
How to survive in a crowd? It's easy if you follow some tips:
- Stay calm and turn off your emotions. You will panic later.
- Try to get away from the core of the crowd and move to the side.
- Don't go against the flow. If you want to leave, then move with the crowd, slightly moving to the side.
- Try not to stand out and look like you belong, even if you got here by accident.
- Do not speak out loud if your opinion differs from the mood and opinions of those people in the crowd.
- Take off your scarf, button up your jacket, and hide your bag under your sweater. There is a risk of getting caught on something - this could be fatal.
- If it's very crowded, wrap your arms around your body, putting your elbows out and covering your stomach and chest. This way you will avoid fractures.
- Try not to fall - they will trample you right away. If you fall, grab the first leg you come across and crawl up it.
Breathe deeper in a crowd. The air inside the pandemonium is often oxygen-poor.
Introduction
In the twentieth century, the role of the crowd in all spheres of social life grew significantly. This is primarily due to the concentration of people. The world is experiencing an unprecedented increase in population concentration. Now every day we find ourselves in dense crowds of people: on buses, subways, in large stores. in city markets. This cannot but affect our behavior. In past centuries, most people encountered such crowds very rarely. The 19th century French psychologist J. Le Bon wrote: The century into which we are entering is likely to be the era of the crowd. Mass processions, rallies, and street concerts often end tragically. The experience accumulated by life safety specialists allows us to give some recommendations to participants in such events.
The development of television and advertising has created powerful means of simultaneously manipulating the behavior of millions of people. They can simultaneously receive information, pushing them to the same type of actions, causing irrational behavior. Irrational behavior is the opposite of rational behavior. If the first is characterized by linking goals with perceived interests, constructing an action plan based on calculating the balance of possible achievements and costs, then irrational behavior is devoid of this. It is based on psychological mechanisms that are only indirectly related to sober calculation.
In everyday life, a crowd is understood as something amphora and chaotic. In psychology, on the contrary, a crowd is seen as the opposite of a random gathering of people. Recently, the crowd has become, it is customary to consider it as a special living organism. Its cells are individuals, thinking, independent individuals... Until they fall into the crowd! Like a fantastic alien animal, these cells either gather together, then a living organism is formed from the crowd, then they scatter, and this organism ceases to exist.
Who makes up the crowd: the role of the leader
Crowd
The basis of a crowd is always the instigators who form a crowd of people. This can happen deliberately or accidentally. For example, any incident can attract a large number of onlookers; in such a situation, the instigator does not plan to gather people around. Or vice versa, one or more leaders begin to attract people's attention in various ways, for example: provocations, shows, performances. Who does the crowd consist of? What is the role of a leader?
- The crowd almost always consists of random passers-by and the base.
- In situations where the crowd is formed purposefully, the leaders can be joined by trained people who share their opinion.
- The crowd is constantly replenished with new people who increase its strength. This process cannot be controlled because curious incidents attract people.
- The role of a crowd leader is to create belief in something . This is the main reason for his great influence.
The key indicator that determines the strength of a leader's influence on the crowd is charm. This is the quality that is the dominance of a person over the mind of another person.
Stages of crowd formation
The emergence of even a random and inhomogeneous crowd never occurs without social conditioning and occurs in stages. Each mass of people has a core that holds them all together - these can be specially appointed or informal leaders, emotionally significant people or those who best navigate the situation. The initial core may arise from logical motives, so in accidents people come together to provide help, while there are victims and those who have medical skills or can help organize movement to the hospital. Then to these people are added those who are caring, capable of participating, or seeking protection. It is from the moment other individuals join that the crowd begins to enter into a circular movement.
When the crowd begins to swirl, a stage of increasing emotions, increasing affect occurs, and the surrounding society begins to divide into polar clans. In this process, there are always people whose opinions enter the psyche of others without any criticism, as a result of which the tendency to commit uncontrollable, spontaneous, dangerous actions increases significantly. Here there is a disappearance of personal responsibility, the dissolution of one’s personality and the acquisition of anonymity.
After a large community has been formed with cohesive interests, a new common object of unity is formed based on the different opinions expressed. If at first it was a natural disaster, then a joint discussion may give rise to a search for or blame on specific people or structures for what happened. Attention shifts, but a completely new and absolutely common goal appears, born from the minds of the participants in the process of interaction. At this stage, people are as united as possible and then the need for a new core formation arises.
Activists, leaders, instigators or provocateurs appear to lead the crowd. Being in it, they can shift emotional accents, through which they can guide people’s actions. It is not necessary to understand how to lead a society and strive for reformation into something good. These could be immature individuals with borderline disorder, psychopaths and manipulators, children and extremists - the main thing is to be able to emotionally shake up the crowd, the goal in this context is secondary.
Stages of crowd emergence
A crowd is a chaotic, structureless formation. Its formation has several stages:
- Nucleation
The more active the core, the faster people gather. The factor that forces an individual to join the crowd may be curiosity, or a specific goal, for example, to become a participant in a rally.
- Whirling
After a public meeting, its members become much more sensitive to external information. This happens because if you behave provocatively, no one will notice. Due to the large number of people gathered, no one pays attention to the provocative actions.
- Object of attention
Initially, people are attracted to some event discussed within the crowd. The appearance of another object of attention increases the cohesion of those gathered.
- Activation of some participants
The tension that increases due to concentration of attention on another object needs to be discharged. Some people, unable to withstand the tension, begin to stimulate those gathered to take action. Such actions can lead to various, bad consequences.
First of all, let's agree that there is a mass gathering of people and how it differs from a crowd that needs to be feared. Is one hundred people a crowd? What about a thousand? What about ten thousand? And a hundred. And a thousand. And ten thousand. It all depends on the location. Thirty people in the confined space of a small apartment may be a crowd, but five thousand people evenly dispersed across the open space of a large field and minding their own business is not.
So does a crowd mean limited space and crowding? So? Not at all necessary. Three hundred people in the shield barracks is much more crowded, and yet it is not a crowd. Rather, its antipode is the army. Hundreds of thousands of people divided into separate units and therefore easily controlled.
We found one more component: is a crowd a collection of unorganized people? Not always. Let’s say, a hundred thousand people are sitting in a stadium, each in his own place, with his own ticket, each on his own. What kind of crowd is this? Now, if only they jumped up at once...
That's right. In order for a simple mass gathering of people to turn into a crowd dangerous for those around them and for itself, in addition to internal prerequisites, an external provocation factor is also needed, so to speak, a pinch of yeast, which makes the mass of dough ferment and rise.
What will serve as the detonator that turns a gathering of peaceful people into an inherently aggressive crowd - panic caused by a natural disaster, a fire, a rally or rock concert brought to the point of hysteria, the fear of being left without humanitarian aid distributed by a generous hand, mass discontent - is not important. The reasons can be very diverse and unexpected.
It is important that at some point one hundred thousand individuals lose self-control and turn into a single biological organism living according to its own laws, where a person is assigned the role of no more than one of the thousands of molecules that make it up. It is clear that the “molecule” cannot live according to its own laws, but only according to general ones. The subordination of everyone to everyone is the main law of the crowd.
Very often, after the end of mass unrest, people, recalling the events of the past hours or even days, are surprised that they, in general, peaceful, law-abiding, well-behaved citizens, suddenly, having pulled off the brakes, ran to where everyone else was running, did what they did others, including crimes and acts of vandalism. What happened? How did they get to this point? Unclear.
It's very clear. Man is a herd animal. That is why he survived in extreme primitive times. No, no, but old instincts make themselves felt. And the former biological law - the priority of the pack over its constituent individuals - breaks through the patina of acquired civilized habits.
To my shame, I once had to experience a similar transformation. This happened during one trans-sea (out of sight of the coast) voyage. Good weather, a hearty dinner, a great mood, good prospects and just one phrase spoken out loud that turned a luxurious vacation into a nightmare of an extreme situation.
— Guys, a bloody sunset is a harbinger of a storm. - But really...
And everyone, without hesitation, whether the sign corresponds to reality or not, whether there are prerequisites for an imminent shipwreck or whether this is delirium of heated fantasy, became preoccupied with saving his dear life. In a split second, the crew turned into a poorly controlled crowd.
Everyone ran around looking for life jackets, grabbed flares and emergency protection, and put on all the warm clothes they could. So what is next? What's next? Nothing! That is, absolutely nothing. There is nowhere to run, there is nothing to fight for, there is no point in breaking through to the boats, because there are none. We were initially sitting in conditions of an artificially simulated emergency situation. Worse than ever. The only thing worse is death.
All night we pretended to be a mass gathering of waterfowl idiots - we sat in full emergency gear, holding rockets in one hand and a can of condensed milk in the other. We were waiting for a storm. Naturally, there was no storm. Instead of organizing a normal, warm, comfortable overnight stay, we organized a real emergency one. They punished themselves.
Then we tried to figure out what happened, why such inappropriately violent reactions were caused by one single, not the most terrible phrase. Why didn't anyone show basic prudence? Not a single person! Maybe we are such hopeless cowards? No! Otherwise, we wouldn’t be sitting in the middle of the sea on a homemade raft, much more dangerous than the smallest boat. We would have stayed at home.
So what happened? But nothing supernatural - just ordinary panic. And yet, what made us, generally normal, timid dozen people, suddenly, in the blink of an eye, lose our calm and commit a mass of useless, stupid and shameful acts? What was the initial impetus that triggered the mechanism of fear? We tried to analyze the situation.
“Everyone was scared, and I was scared... Everyone ran, and I ran—that’s how almost all of us expressed our feelings.”
There were no culprits. Everyone was guilty. We repeated the experience of thousands of victims who preceded us, replacing individual prudence with collective fear. We have become a crowd. And in the crowd, fear spreads with the speed of an explosion and with approximately the same consequences.
Behavior in a crowd
From what I said above, we can deduce the basic rule of self-salvation in a crowd - the desire to preserve individuality. Loss of individuality equals death!
! The main thing for a person in a crowd is not to succumb to the general psychosis of salvation at any cost, not to become an ordinary log supporting the flame in a growing psychic fire (there is such a term). To hell with it, you can burn out, but on an individual basis. Turn off emotions, rely only on reason. He is your only hope for salvation. Only he can suggest the right line of behavior. Emotions will lead you where everyone else will run. Analyze, weigh the situation, look for the most promising ways of salvation.
I will list some simple techniques that allow you to provide psychological resistance to the mass psychosis of panic. Never take rumors that are circulated in the crowd at face value. Look for a way to verify the imposed information with facts.
Do not blindly obey the opinion of the crowd, no matter how true it may seem at the moment. Close your ears, open your eyes. Make a decision based on the principle: I only believe what I see!
! But don’t even think about expressing it publicly if you don’t agree with the opinions and actions of the crowd. Your internal position should not be expressed externally. The crowd destroys the “White Crows”. Do not express, do not defend your opinion, do not enter into discussions. Focus on action! It is more important than words.
Violent mass feelings, be it fear, hatred or joy, are very contagious. Resist mass psychosis. If you feel like you are getting turned on, try to look at yourself from the outside. Don't you look stupid, aren't your movements, facial expressions, and speech funny? Self-irony and shame are good brakes when hysteria begins.
Distract yourself in any way possible. The main thing is to keep your mind clear. Use auto-training techniques: deep breathing, contemplation of stationary objects, talking to yourself, etc. Finally, try to sober yourself up by pinching your arm hard, biting your lip; by hitting yourself on the cheek or causing any other pain.
Focus on the people close to you. Your task is to protect them. And this is only possible if you control the situation and your mental state. You have something to fear. Experience shows that under the influence of a crowd, social ties are destroyed, a person stops caring about his friends and family, and stops noticing them. The man of the crowd becomes the enemy of his loved ones. There are known cases when, in an attack of panic or a demonstration of fanatical devotion to the leader of the pack (read - the leader of the crowd), mothers sacrificed their children!
Look for “outcasts” like yourself in the crowd. Unite with them, create opposition to the general mood (only silent opposition!). Several people who have found support in each other are easier to resist the crowd than one, and it is more difficult to succumb to the psychosis of the general mood. It cannot be that among thousands of people there are not ten sensible people. Recognize them by the expression of their eyes, by their facial expressions, by their actions, in relation to current events. Make your way to them, stand next to them, unite your mind and physical strength.
! If you have not succumbed to the negative charm of the crowd, then you have half won the battle for survival. Physical actions directly aimed at rescue are secondary in conditions of panic. If you have protected your consciousness, it will teach your body how to get out of trouble alive and unharmed.
And if we speak completely abstractly, then the element of the crowd is all the more destructive the less well-educated people it consists of. Intelligence, coupled with education, leaves no chance for panic. There are many examples of this when representatives of high society chose death between loss of face and death. People for whom the concept of honor is higher than the fear of losing their lives will not lose self-control in the most “groovy” panic. They are absolutely protected.
During the sinking of the Titanic, the ship's orchestra played Strauss waltzes until the last moment, trying to calm the crowd. The entire orchestra died, but they cannot be blamed for succumbing to panic. On the same “Titanic” there were many cases when gentlemen gave up their life jackets to the ladies, and while sailing in icy water (20 minutes is the limit of survival!) past crowded boats, they asked: “Gentlemen, do you have another place? No? Then sorry to bother you. And be happy to be alive.”
Yes, precisely in such refined expressions. Unfortunately, most of us will use completely different phrases and take completely different actions in a similar situation. More likely from the first passage describing the shipwreck. Alas, the costs of education. For us, life is a much more concrete concept than honor.
Do you have any doubts? Do you think that I indiscriminately and undeservedly accuse readers of sins that are unusual for them? So to speak, do I insult them in the best possible way? So?
Then try on the following situation. Only honestly. You personally are capable, not being able to pay off the old debt, to go and... not to re-borrow the money and not to send the annoying creditor to hell (he walks and walks as if he doesn’t understand that there is no money!), but to go and shoot himself.
Yes, that’s it - because you don’t have a few hundred rubles! No? And I'm not capable. And I’ll think: life is about some measly money? Life!!! Am I crazy? The neighbor who gave me the money was patient for a month and will be patient for another six months. It’s my own fault, I shouldn’t have given it! In short, let him shoot himself, because he will never receive this money! And everything seems to be so. How can you lose your life because of some unfortunate rubles?!
Yes it is not! Not because of rubles! They're really just paper. Because of a broken word! Because of the concept of “honor”! Is it really not clear? But it’s so simple and obvious... For them. People of honor!.. Not for us. Because we... won’t shoot ourselves! No, we can’t easily pass such a seemingly simple test. We stumble on it.
And if we can’t get through, then we shouldn’t hope that in extreme conditions we will behave like knights without fear or reproach. Most likely no. We will run, shout and push, like ordinary people saving their own skins. And we will have fears and reproaches to everyone who falls under the hot hand. And no “Let me let you go ahead.”
And that means we will have to save ourselves like ordinary people, that is, physically. Moral death worries us much less. And we will have a greater chance of survival the better we know what to do in such a situation, and the more we take care of our body in trouble.
Crowd in a closed room
So, you are sitting relaxed in a chair in a movie theater or at a concert, and suddenly an emergency occurs. That same external factor: a fire, an explosion, armed aggression by a group of terrorists, or simply shouts about a fire, explosion or aggression. The people in the auditorium were at first dumbfounded, then they moved, swayed towards the exits, and screamed.
Those in the rear, fearing to be farthest from the saving door and closest to danger (which they often don’t even see), pressed on those in front. The front ones hit the walls and a crush formed. The exact word is crush. Neither add nor subtract.
You, of course, are confused and scared - the transition from relaxation to threat was too sudden. I really want to jump up and run with everyone, no matter where, as long as it’s from here. But here you are wrong. It is very important where, and also important when.
! If you decide to run away, then try to be the first, while the aisles are still clear, while the bulk of people are still getting out of the rows of chairs, before they have yet turned into a crowd and remember the norms of universal morality, and have not used their elbows and fists. Then this morality will be crushed, crushed and trampled under thousands of feet. Your main task is not to find yourself in a tidal wave that has gained power.
If you did not manage to get into the first ranks of fleeing people and if there is no obvious danger, try to wait until the main flow of those fleeing subsides. I understand that it is difficult not to succumb to general panic. How can it be that everyone is running, and you are waiting for something. It's a shame! Still, try to pacify your fear.
! In a huge number of cases, the crush of masses of people in narrow passages can be much more dangerous than the threat itself that caused panic. There is only one case where it makes sense to put your life in danger by rushing into a panicked crowd - in a rapidly spreading fire.
Before throwing, get rid of all piercing, cutting, glass and simply bulky objects protruding from your pockets that could cause pain to you and those around you. There are any number of cases where victims were cut with their own keys or scissors sticking out of a cosmetic bag.
Imagine for a second what will happen to your ribs if your own plump notebook or wallet is pressed into them with tremendous force. The bones will at least withstand uniform pressure, but not always point pressure. What if, between the same ribs, a ballpoint pen inserted across the body, sharp as a dagger, enters the body? In short, don’t be greedy, throw your things away, at least remember where you left them, then when everything is over, you’ll come back and find them.
! Take off your glasses if you don't want them pressed into your eyes. Remove the earrings - they will still be torn out in the general commotion, but this time along with the ears. Get rid of bulky, long, too loose clothing, full of protruding parts that cling to anything - hooks, buttons, ties, etc. - clothes. Be sure to remove ties, scarves, decorative scarves, chains, beads, and crosses worn on a strong chain from your neck.
Such items of your wardrobe become deadly in a crowd. It is enough for them to catch on some stationary object or a loved one for them to play the role of an instant noose tightening the throat. You will hardly be able to pull your hands out of the compressed mass of people in order to relieve the pressure of the noose. And even more so, you will not be able to slow down the movement of this crowd in order to remove the scarf from a random nail on the wall.
Tie your shoe laces tightly. Everyone usually forgets about this when rushing to attack the doors. Not for a bow - tie dead knots! If someone in a crowd of people steps on your loose shoelace, you may fall, and this is a guaranteed death. And, of course, throw away your shoulder bags.
You also need to enter the crowd wisely. It is common knowledge that the most dangerous place in a crowd leaving a building through narrow doors is at the edge. People who find themselves there are sometimes simply literally smeared across the walls and door frames. Any protrusion, socket, switch, random screw or nail can cut a person dragged along the wall, no worse than a bandit’s knife.
Therefore, the main task of a person joining a crowd is to get as far away from its edge as possible. This can be done either by going back a little, where it is more rarefied, in order to get into one of the central jets, or by “going over the heads.” Alas, no matter how immoral this advice is, from the point of view of physical survival it is absolutely correct.
The freest space in a compressed crowd is, naturally, at the top. And people in a crowd are so squeezed, so grounded to each other, that it is possible to walk on them, on their shoulders and heads, like, excuse me, on a cobblestone street, at full height. And there are examples to support this.
Naturally, I don’t encourage you to trample the tops of other people’s heads with your heels, but I advise you to “lie down” on the crowd. To do this, you need to jump onto the outer rows and crawl on your bellies or roll over to the place that you have chosen, and then get involved in the mass of people. And if it doesn’t work out, then continue to sail on other people’s heads. The only thing I can’t promise you is that you won’t be disturbed from below with blows, pushes or pinches. But you can endure it, it’s not as deadly as rubbing it on the walls.
This technique can be especially recommended in cases where you have a young child in your arms. To drag him into the crowd would be to put his life in mortal danger. Children's ribs are not able to withstand such a load as adults, and with strong shocks they can break, which, in conditions of general compression, leads to the collapse of the lungs, which are not protected by the skeleton of the skeleton, and the inability to take the next breath.
It is equally dangerous for a child, because of his small stature, to end up below, near the floor, where, perhaps, there is a little more freedom, but it is very easy to fall under the heels of thousands of feet walking by. The safest place is overhead. There are cases where mothers simply threw their children on top of the crowd and thereby saved them from death. Sometimes parents sit the child on their shoulders and in this position join the flow of people.
! In a gradually thickening, petrifying crowd, when the way up is closed, parents should try, turning face to face and leaning against each other with their elbows bent and hands pressed to the body, to place the child between them.
The classic pose so beloved by painters, photographers and filmmakers - a mother clasping her child in danger with her arms - is useless and even dangerous in a crowd. The mother does not have the strength to hold back with her hands the pressure of people pressing from all sides, no matter how hard she tries. One should strive to use one’s hands, and indeed the whole body, in such a way that, having accepted the pressure of people on oneself, one should form a relatively safe niche for one’s child.
You should not grab the child, thereby effectively depriving yourself of the opportunity to use your arms pressed against his body, but put your arms forward, wedging them between the people standing behind and in front. Bones in the longitudinal axis are much stronger than in the transverse axis. This is what you should use.
Have time to complete all preparatory actions: protect children, take the safest position, get rid of dangerous things, etc. - in advance. Don't let the initial sparseness of the human flow fool you. As you approach the exit door, the pressure (due to the funnel effect) will increase.
And when you realize it, it will be too late, your hands will be tightly pressed to your body. Everything that you can do to save yourself in the crowd, you must do before it is “pressed”. If you find yourself in the first ranks of fleeing people, try to open the second door, if it is locked, before the crowd arrives. Then it will be more difficult to do.
Still, the best way to avoid possible death in a crowd running out of a room is to avoid getting caught in it. To do this, do not be lazy, while in a cinema, sports palace or stadium, to outline possible escape routes in advance. I don’t encourage you to study the emergency evacuation diagrams that are usually posted in prominent places on the walls (although that would be very nice, that’s why they hang to be looked at), but at least pay attention to the doors you meet along the way, over which there is a sign. “Emergency exit” sign or the red lamp is on.
It has been noticed that most people, in case of danger, try to get out the same way they came. As a result, a crush forms at the entrance doors, while the approaches to the spare doors are quite free. If you find out in advance where they are located, you will not have to push elbows, defending your right to life with inhumane methods.
This is one of the most important rules of survival, which says: when you go somewhere, think about how you will get out of there. It directly concerns both climbers storming a high-altitude peak and ordinary mortals who went to the cinema to watch a new film for a couple of hours. The rules of survival do not depend on the location.
In “milder” cases of unorganized crowds that can form in crowded places - at concerts, circus performances, sports and similar events - for safety reasons, especially if you are with children, you should avoid spaces near the stage where art fans they can create a spontaneous stampede, approaches to the wardrobes, where crowds of spectators rush after each other after the performance, entrance doors, close public transport stops.
It’s better to go outside and get on the bus a little later, but in one piece, than in the front rows, but with a spoiled mood and appearance.
“School of survival in case of accidents and natural disasters” Andrey Ilyichev.
Source.
Types of crowds in social psychology
The Active Crowd
Social psychology looks at crowds from a variety of perspectives. There are several varieties or types:
BY ACTIVITY LEVEL:
A human cluster, which is characterized by the degree of its activity, in itself, can be passive or active:
- Active crowd : a mass of emotionally excited people ready to act here and now.
- Passive crowd : a moderately emotional crowd that does not strive for active action.
A passive crowd can be controlled due to the fact that its participants do not stand out for their activity, but at the same time they are able to experience emotions.
BY EMOTIONALITY:
Any crowd is characterized by emotions. Such as:
- Aggression
- Delight
- Panic
Enthusiastic people are not as dangerous as aggressive people, however, the greatest threat always comes from a panicked crowd. She runs in different directions, indiscriminately. A panic crowd is characterized by an increased degree of trauma among its participants.
BY SPATIALITY:
The crowd itself is a spontaneous formation. However, it can be driven or organized.
- An organized crowd always acts within the limits of a prepared plan. Such a group is manageable because it gathers for a specific purpose.
- The driven crowd is gathered by instigators who control the participants. When the leader stops the activities that excite people, the onlookers begin to disperse because the spectacle is over.
Is crowd control easy or difficult? Let's figure it out. Read more below.
Principles of Survival
When moving in a crowd, do not go against the flow of people, this is a pointless idea. Adhering to the general direction of movement, take it a little to the side, towards the exit, if there is one. Don't push people aside, they have nowhere to move. It's better to change places with them. While the crowd is relatively calm, use verbal means: “excuse me, please allow me to pass.” If this does not help, move on to the manual ones, grab the person by the clothes and pull him towards you, at the same time taking his place, not forgetting to apologize intensively.
3. October 20, 1982: tragedy at Luzhniki (Moscow). Killed: 66 people. The largest sports crush in the USSR occurred at the 1/16 UEFA Cup match between Spartak and the Dutch Haarlem. The tragedy happened at the end of the match due to poor organization of the exit from the crowded stadium.
If you find yourself in a crowd not alone - but, for example, with a child, a woman, a friend - there is an unpleasant prospect of being separated from each other. No amount of “give me your hand” will help. A small child - in your arms. If he is old enough, put him in the “reserve parachute” position: put him on his chest, let him wrap his arms around your neck and his legs around your waist. We press an adult to your back, with one hand he holds you by the belt buckle or clothing in the abdomen area, with one hand you control and strengthen this grip. Equality when leaving the crowd is canceled; one leads, the other follows, pressing close. This is how bodyguards evacuate the protected person. If you can’t send your friend behind your back, at least lock your elbows.
Before you try to get out of the crowd, or better yet, before you get into it, button up your outerwear and all pockets, tuck a scarf under your jacket, remove the hood, lace up your boots. Hide anything that you can get caught on or get grabbed.
4. July 2, 1990: tragedy in the pedestrian tunnel in Mecca. Deaths: 1425 people. The largest crush during the traditional Hajj. No hajj is complete without casualties, but 1990 broke all records. In 45-degree heat, several thousand pilgrims streamed into the cooled tunnel linking Mecca with the pilgrim camp at Mina. The tunnel's capacity was exceeded five times, and many suffocated due to the fans stopping.
The main thing is do not panic under any circumstances, they will do this without your participation. While possible, try to be as polite as possible and do not escalate the situation. In the crowd, the mood changes towards worsening - hit, run, save! - happens very quickly. It’s not architecture that’s at work here, but psychology.
How to control a crowd?
Crowd management is a complex process. When she is organized and follows a prepared plan, she is easy to manage. In a situation of spontaneous formation of an aggressive mass, it becomes impossible to stop and contain the crowd. The study of crowd psychology has helped scientists identify factors that provide tools for crowd control:
- Demonstration of your superiority. A person lost in the crowd begins to instinctively look for a strong participant. A spontaneously formed crowd has a primitive character, so demonstrating its strength helps to control the people in it.
- Expressiveness . An individual who accidentally finds himself in a crowd subconsciously tries to find an object of attention, a person whom he can trust. Most often, such an object becomes an aggressive leader who loudly expresses his own opinion.
- Information content of the speech . An excited crowd craves not beautiful speeches, but action. Correctly selected slogans help change the mood of the crowd, directing it in the right direction.
It is also worth considering the psychology of the crowd in trading. Read on.
Psychology of the crowd in trading, on the stock exchange
Any trader opening a position looks at the masses and focuses on their mood. He thinks that the majority of players are professionals. They probably know when to buy and sell assets. However, blindly trusting the crowd when assessing the market often turns out to be wrong. Often following the masses leads to great losses.
Some traders keep an eye on their competitors and use their actions as clues. At its core, a stock exchange is also a crowd whose participants bet their own money to lower or increase prices.
Crowd syndrome: examples from psychology
Crowd
Crowd syndrome is the tendency of a person who finds himself in a group to become infected with its mood, losing his own identity. Psychology knows many examples of the manifestation of crowd syndrome:
- A person comes to work, to the office, being in a bad mood, but gradually becomes infected with positive emotions from the team and his mood improves.
- The buyer comes to the supermarket on the day of the sale and, finding himself in a crowd of “bargain hunters,” begins, like them, to buy everything in a row, even if he did not initially intend to do so.
This is real crowd syndrome. Continue reading further.
Art therapy
Art therapy (from the English art - art; therapy - therapy, treatment, care, care) is a method of psychotherapy, humanistic psychology, based on creative activity and artistic techniques used for treatment and psychocorrection.
Works in counseling and therapy for adults, children and adolescents.
The art therapy technique is used to resolve: intra- and interpersonal conflicts; crisis conditions; injuries; existential and age-related crises; losses; psychosomatic disorders; neurotic disorders; post-stress disorders; development of creativity; discovery of personal meanings through creativity; development of personality integrity; much more.
How to influence a person - Chernigov “Crowd Psychology”: video
Tatyana Vladimirovna Chernigovskaya is a Soviet and Russian scientist in the field of neuroscience and psycholinguistics, as well as theory of consciousness. Doctor of Biological Sciences, Doctor of Philology, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Education. This scientist is a professor at the Department of General Linguistics at St. Petersburg State University, head of the Laboratory of Cognitive Research and the Department of Problems of Convergence of Natural Sciences and Humanities at St. Petersburg State University.
Tatyana Vladimirovna knows how to influence a person. She knows the psychology of the crowd very well. The professor passes on his knowledge to students, future psychologists. She assures that defeating the crowd is difficult, but possible. One has only to overthrow the leader or change the goals of the crowd. Watch the video below for more details. This is interesting.
