Shared identity turns crowds from irrational mobs into solidarity-based adaptive resources

Evidence

There are dangers in groups. The attempt to stay with others and act collectively may slow the individual down and even impede crowd flow; and some group norms can be dangerous. Yet, usually in these situations, groupness confers benefits and individualism increases risk. The more that everyone in a crowd acts as an individual, the more likely it is that exits will be blocked as people fail to coordinate (Mintz, 1951). In liberating us from the restrictions of individuality (Turner et al., 1987), shared social identity in a crowd can therefore be a crucial adaptive resource. Mass emergencies happen to crowds and in crowds. They can also create crowds. These crowds have in the past been seen as conduits of irrationality. Recent research suggests that, through sharing social identity, crowds do indeed act as conduits – for shared emotions, cognitions, and behaviours that can be described as forms of solidarity. In the context of an emergency, these solidarity behaviours can contribute to collective self-organisation and hence to safety, survival, and wellbeing. — John Drury, The role of social identity processes…, 164

Categorization

• XREF: Directly overturns the classic Le Bon ‘irrational crowd’ tradition that the solidarity-via-emergency literature positions against. — connects to: Crowd identification predicts helping and reduces pushing in evacuation simulations. — John Drury, The role of social identity processes…, 56; Shared identity in crowds produces solidarity and expected mutual support. — John Drury, The role of social identity processes…, 104; Shared identity with a crowd converts density from threat into safety — John Drury, The role of social identity processes…, 150 (+13 more)
• DEEPTHINKING: flagged by the selector, no supporting note recorded

Related

• Shared identity that enables crowd helping often emerges during an emergency rather than pre-existing. (similarity 0.91)
• A shared identity can emerge within a crowd only after an emergency begins. (similarity 0.91)
• Shared social identity produces adaptive psychosocial resilience that aids group survival in emergencies. (similarity 0.91)
• Shared identity can emerge rapidly during, not before, an emergency. (similarity 0.91)
• Shared emergent identity from common fate explains collective support amid disasters (similarity 0.90)
• Shared identity in crowds produces solidarity and expected mutual support. (similarity 0.90)
• Shared social identity is the causal variable predicting solidarity among disaster strangers. (similarity 0.90)
• Shared fate in danger makes strangers act as one group offering help. (similarity 0.90)
• Shared identity with a crowd increases helping and decreases pushing others aside. (similarity 0.89)
• Shared identity creates orderliness that makes routine dangerous crowding survivable (similarity 0.89)
• The psychological crowd is an adaptive survival resource in emergencies (similarity 0.88)
• People act collectively in emergencies despite being conditioned toward individual self-interest. (similarity 0.88)
• Shared identity with a crowd converts density from threat into safety (similarity 0.88)
• Crowd identification predicts helping and reduces pushing in evacuation simulations. (similarity 0.87)
• Shared danger makes people feel close to strangers and motivates mutual help. (similarity 0.87)

Broader Connections

• Shared social identity is the causal variable predicting solidarity among disaster strangers. #corroborates (0.95) — John Drury and Evangelos Ntontis, A SOCIAL IDENTITY MODEL OF COLLECTIVE…, 26
• Shared social identity produces adaptive psychosocial resilience that aids group survival in emergencies. #corroborates (0.95) — John Drury, The role of social identity processes…, 107
• Facing a shared threat transforms individuals into a psychological crowd with emergent shared identity #expands (0.90) — John Drury, The role of social identity processes…, 49
• Shared identity with a crowd increases helping and decreases pushing others aside. #exemplifies (0.90) — John Drury, The role of social identity processes…, 56
• Shared emergent identity from common fate explains collective support amid disasters #expands (0.90) — John Drury, The role of social identity processes…, 15
• Shared humanity overcomes preconceived enemy divisions between strangers #corroborates (0.80) — Khaled A. Beydoun, The New Crusades_ Islamophobia and the…, 190
• Witnessing identity-mates panic or flee can spread that behaviour through crowds #complicates (0.80) — John Drury, The role of social identity processes…, 17
• Crowds arouse sub-individual instincts while organized groups transcend individuals #qualifies (0.75) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 345
• Joint creative production generates collective identity beyond external-threat response #qualifies (0.75) — Nina Eliasoph, Avoiding politics, 1225
• Self-protective ingroup solidarity can backfire by preventing stereotype disconfirmation #complicates (0.75) — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 1072