Group embedment replaces individual decision making with a shared We that spreads emotion
Evidence
Group processes come to dominate the psychology of perpetrators. Embed ded in a group, trained in submission to authority, and further indoctrinated in ideology, people give up individual decision making to the group and its leaders (Milgram, 1974; Zimbardo, 1969). The “We” acquires substantial power, in place of the “I.” With the boundaries of the self weakened, there will be emotional contagion, the spread of feelings among group members (Milgram & Toch, 1969; Staub, 1987; Staub & Rosenthal, 1994), and shared reactions to events. — Leonard S. Newman and Ralph Erber (eds.), Understanding Genocide, 136
Categorization
- XREF: Connects to Milgram/Zimbardo obedience research and the earlier chapter on situational deference to authority driving mass murder. — connects to: Group-based emotions arise only when shared membership is salient; Emotions can belong to groups rather than only to individuals — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice: Fifty Years…, 2261; Emotional identification with a group, not mere membership, drives group-based fear and anger — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice: Fifty Years…, 2267 (+1 more)
- DEFINE: Defines how the psychological ‘We’ supersedes the ‘I’ in perpetrator groups.
Broader Connections
- Emotions can belong to groups rather than only to individuals
#corroborates(0.80) — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 2261 - Group-based emotions arise only when shared membership is salient
#expands(0.75) - Emotional identification with a group, not mere membership, drives group-based fear and anger
#qualifies(0.75) — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 2267 - Group anonymity and emotional arousal override individual moral judgment
#corroborates(0.72) — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 435