Mob Mentality

July 1, 2014, by Ken Jorgustin

 

Reminder:
Your expectation as to how people will behave during a collapse may be flawed.
You may believe that because most people today generally seem to be ‘good’ and fairly reasonable or rational, that these same people will remain mostly good and rational during a collapse. This is flawed thinking, and is a barrier to situational awareness.
Consider a hypothetical collapse such as the following…


The faltering economy has collapsed (by any number of triggers), sending the U.S. into social chaos. Food and supplies become scarce. Prices skyrocket. Waves of layoffs send unemployment soaring. Desperation sets in for many Americans who have been living paycheck to paycheck all these years and they are becoming increasingly irrational in their behavior. Riots and violence develop in cities across America. There is talk of confiscation from ‘hoarders’ and those who’ve registered their firearms. The president declares martial law (saying that all will be lifted once law and order has been re-established)…

Will your neighbors and/or your local – state – federal law enforcement remain reasonable and rational under these stresses?
Have you considered what happens under Mob Mentality?

Mob or Herd mentality is sometimes a fear-based reaction to peer pressure which makes individuals act in order to avoid feeling “left behind” from the group. Individuals sometimes imitate other group members of higher social status in their behavior.

Or, think about the last sporting event or concert you attended. It’s unlikely that you would have been yelling or singing the way you were if you were the only person doing it… The group seems to make some behaviors acceptable that would not be acceptable otherwise.

What makes people give in to mob mentality – especially when it turns violent?
When people are part of a group, they often experience a loss of being an individual, or a loss of self-awareness. These people are less likely to follow normal restraints and inhibitions and more likely to lose their sense of individual identity.

People in a violent mob will believe they cannot be held responsible for violent behavior because they perceive the violent action as the group’s (e.g., “everyone was doing it”) rather than their own behavior. When in a large group, people tend to experience less individual responsibility. Typically, the bigger a mob, the more its members lose self-awareness and become willing to engage in dangerous behavior. When people feel that their behavior cannot be traced back to them, they are more likely to break social norms and engage in violence.

In general, we are all susceptible to participating in some group behavior, but certain situations play a role. For example, people are more likely to engage in looting in dire situations, such as when resources were scarce after Hurricane Katrina. Group violence is most likely to occur when the group is large, and people are able to remain anonymous.

Some have questioned whether during a crisis/collapse, law enforcement, DHS, etc. will do exactly as they are ordered to do – even if the orders are apparently unconstitutional in their view. In this situation, mob mentality may play a significant role, in that their ‘group’ may look at it as an ‘Us versus Them’ mentality, entirely lacking of individualism and moral valuations.

The bottom line is this… It may be safe to assume that during the stress of collapse, that mob mentality may be a detriment to one’s survival and well being. So, plan for it…