It asserts that people with similar attributes find other likeminded persons with whom they can release these underlying. A combination of the theories of convergence and contagion, the emergent norm theory states that crowd behavior is the product of the convergence of like. Emergent norm theory hypothesizes that nontraditional behavior such as that associated with collective action develops in crowds as a result of the emergence of new behavioral norms in response to a precipitating crisis. Pdf crowd behaviour and collective action researchgate. In the following decades, theories of crowd behavior such as the convergence theory, the. Social change and collective behavior boundless sociology. This theory assumes that individuals act irrationally as they come under the hypnotic influence of a crowd. Smelser free pdf book 1965 adam sherif thursday, march 5, 2020 edit this post excerpt from the authors introduction. Collective behavior can actually change elements of society. Convergence theory definition, discussion and examples. Like contagion theory, convergence theory relatively. Because sociological theory tends to explain behavior by institutionalized norms and.
The characteristics of these nations effectively converge. Structural conduciveness refers to the broad social conditions that are necessary for an episode of collective behavior to occur. Convergence theory presumes that as nations move from the early stages of industrialization toward becoming fully industrialized, they begin to resemble other industrialized societies in terms of societal norms and technology. We are learning how to use that power through our day to day interactions within convergence culture. The people attending a baptist revival service share a number of characteristics which from those of a racetrack crowd. This chapter is devoted to the mechanisms of engagement and disengagement in collective action as they are currently conceived in social and political psychology. Dynamics of demand are about people and their motives, dynamics of supply about organizations and their appeals, and dynamics of. Sociology, 12th edition by john macionis studying collective behavior collective behavior.
In this article, the meaning, formstypes and theories of collective behaviour and. Early convergence theorists believed that even countries that are polar opposites in their views on economic. The columbine shooting provides us with many examples of collective behavior. In other words, if a crowd becomes violent a mob or riot, convergence theory would argue that this is not because the crowd encouraged violence but rather because people. There are three main theories on collective behavior. Explaining crowd behavior convergence theory whereas the contagion theory states that crowds cause people to act in a certain way, convergence theory says the opposite. Collective behaviour collective behaviour theories of collective behaviour. Collective behavior refers to the spontaneous and unstructured behavior of a group of people in. Sociology, 12th edition by john macionis studying collective behavior collective behavioractivity involving a large number of people that is unplanned, often controversial, and sometimes dangerous examples. Crowd behavior reflects the beliefs and intentions that individuals already share before they join a crowd. This theory assumes that crowd behavior reflects the preexisting value, beliefs, and behavioral disposition of the individuals who join a crowd. Mobs, riots, panic, mass hysteria, and social movements. Convergence theory is one of the theories that presented this new understanding of collective behavior.
This is why the subject of collective behaviour and social movements is pri mal in. Convergence theory convergence theory 17 holds that crowd behavior is not a product of the crowd, but rather the crowd is a product of the coming together of likeminded individuals. Findings show contagion theory, convergence theory, emergent norm theory. Convergence theory convergence theory holds that crowd behavior is not a product of the crowd itself, but is carried into the crowd by particular individuals. Contagion theory is the tendency for everyone in a crowd to copy the behavior of one of the people in a crowd. Social unrest and circular reaction happens when one person in a crowd is displeased and then acts towards a second person in a way that expresses this. If a crowd of people were trying to escape from a burning theater, running, which is normally considered chaotic behavior, would now be viewed as a rational solution. Sosiolog menentukan perilaku kolektif sebagai perilaku yang relatif spontan dan sementara yang melibatkan sejumlah besar orang terlibat dalam kegiatan. Because much collective behaviour is dramatic, unpredictable, and frightening, the early theories and many contemporary popular views are more evaluative than analytic. Many of these early theories depicted collective behaviour as an atavism.
Neighborhood groups concerned about crime and want to do something about it critical evaluation some people do things in a crowd that they would not have the courage to do alone. Mass behavior collective behavior among people dispersed over a wide geographical area rumor and gossip public opinion propaganda fashions and fads panic and mass. Convergence theory whereas the contagion theory states that crowds cause people to act. Convergence theory convergence theory argues that the behavior of a crowd is not an emergent property of the crowd but is a result of likeminded individuals coming together. Thus, collective behaviour is explained on the basis of simultaneous presence of a number of people who share the same predispositions, which are activated by the event or object toward which. The purpose of the section on collective behavior and social movements is to foster the study of emergent and extrainstitutional social forms and behavior.
Harton department of psychology, university of northern iowa, usa keywords. Collective intelligence can be seen as an alternative source of media power. The emergent properties of cognition at a collective level alin comana,1, ida momennejada,b, rae d. Bourgeois department of psychology, university of wyoming, usa helen c. The basic suppositions of emergent norm theory are that collective action is rational, that collective action is a response to an ambiguous precipitating event, and that new norms of behavior appropriate to the collective action situation emerge through group processes without prior. Rather, crowd behavior reflects the behavior and attitudes of. Convergence theory according to convergence theory, crowd behavior arises from the gathering together of a number of people who share the same needs, impulses, dislikes, and purposes. Collective behavior scholars now believe that collective behavior is much more rational than contagion theory assumed. Emergent norm theory states that when novel situations arise in which collective behavior is determined perhaps unwillingly when the group copies the behavior of an individualsmall group, possibly for no other reason besides the fact that this persongroup was the first to be forced to react.
It becomes a reflection of the combined attitudes of the individuals who have joined the crowd. Convergence theory argues that crowd behavior is a reflection of the beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that individuals bring to a crowd. Right now, we are mostly using collective power through our recreational life, but. Labor movements, animal rights movements, antinuclear movements, mothers against drunk drivers madd, and the disability. Convergence theory and crowd psychopathology unlike contagi on theory s assumption that collective behavior emerges as a result of outside stimulation of latent pathological drives, convergence theory postulates the emergence of episodes of. In the convergence theory, the influences of a crowd do not encourage or dictate the actions of a person. Emergent norm theory lemonik arthur major reference. This is the component of collective behavior known as social movements. Collective behavior is like this as each successive determinant is added, the range of possible final outcomes is narrowed. Thus, crowds amount to a convergence of likeminded individuals. Convergence theory assumes that crowd behavior reflects the preexisting values and beliefs and behavioral disposition of the individuals who join a crowd. The next, the valueadded theory, is a functionalist perspective that states that several preconditions must be in place for collective behavior.
Both have sought to explain why a group of people feel and act 1. Other articles where convergent theory is discussed. Drachc, and andra geanaa,b adepartment of psychology, princeton university, princeton, nj 08544. The crowd doesnt generate the action, but rather the members themselves stimulate the action of the crowd. Collective behavior introduction to sociology lumen learning. The dynamics of collective social behavior in a crowd controlled. People are not sure how to behave when they begin to interact in collective. According to this theory, crowds do not unduly influence individuals to act in emotional and even violent ways. According to this theory, crowds do not unduly influence. An example of collective behavior may be found in a burning theater scenario. For proponents of emergent norm theory, collective action includes all types of social behavior in which the conventional. Convergence theory, on the other hand, argues that participants, particularly in violent collective episodes, were already predisposed to engage in such actions the crowd simply offers them the excuse. Pdf consumer convergence and collective motivations for.
There are three different forms of collective behavior. This one persons actions guide the rest of the crowds actions or behaviors. Collective behavior is emotional and irrational and results from the hypnotic influence of the crowd. These interaction theories have been labeled contagion and convergence theories. Collective behaviour theories of collective behaviour. He identified several instances of convergent or collective behavior. Collective behavior and social movements github pages. The convergence theory claims that motivations are not born in the crowd but develop in individuals. Consumer convergence and collective motivations for purchasing ethical products article pdf available in research in rural sociology and development 21. Elements of collective behavior, social movements smelser a. Instead, the behavior of the crowd is already a reflection of how a person thinks or feels. Collective phenomena have been the subject of intense research in psychology and sociology since the xix century. Dynamics of collective action are decomposed into dynamics of demand, supply, and mobilization.
The expression collective behavior was first used by franklin henry giddings 1908 and. The psychology of large groups encyclopedia of life. The first, the emergentnorm perspective, emphasizes the importance of social norms in crowd behavior. The second theory discussed was the convergence theory. Collective behaviour theories of collective behaviour britannica. Mass phenomena, collective dynamics, mass behavior, collective behavior contents 1. Collective behavior and group behavior get started with term paper writing and write finest dissertation ever entrust your coursework to experienced writers employed in the company instead of worrying about dissertation writing get the necessary assistance here.
Developed by floyd allport 1924 and later expanded upon by neil miller and john dollard 1941 as learning theory, the central argument of all convergence theories is that collective behavior reveals the otherwise hidden tendencies of the individuals who take part in the episode. On march 7, 1965, african american leaders led a march of 600 people in an attempt to walk the 54 miles 87 km from selma to the state capital in montgomery. Social movements and the dynamics of collective action. Rather, crowd behavior reflects the behavior and attitudes of the individuals who decide to join a crowd. While contagion theory and emergent norm theory focus on how crowds affect individuals, convergence theory sees individuals as the key force that affects crowds.