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Summary of Book I The Crowd: a study of the popular mind
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This is a summary of Book I of The Crowd: a study of the popular mind. It is about crowds, the crowd mind, suggestibility and more.
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Summary of Book I – The mind of Crowds, by Le Bon> Terms that seem important in the literature are italized
> Topics are underlined
> Titles are in bold
> Procs are +, cons are –
These chapters are about the way Gustave Le Bon thinks about crowds.
Crowds don’t tolerate discussion nor contradiction. They accept/reject ideas as a whole and
don’t reason. They only entertain extreme sentiments.
Chapter 1; General characteristics of crowds – psychological law of their mental unity
A crowd – according to Gustave Le Bon; sentiments and ideas of all members of a gathering
take one direction, the conscious personality vanishes. A collective mind is formed; which is
transitory and presenting clearly defined characteristics. The (organized/psychological) crowd
becomes a single being, subjected to the law of mental unity.
Psychological crowds are susceptible of classification; heterogeneous crowds (composed of
dissimilar elements) present certain characteristics in common with homogeneous crowds
(composed of elements more or less akin). A psychological crowd has heterogeneous
elements.
However (un)like individuals are, them transforming into a crowd puts them in possession of
a sort of collective mind, making them feel/act/think in a manner different then when they are
isolated. Certain ideas/feelings only come into being when individuals form a crowd.
What is the crowd mind?
Aspects are combined to form new characteristics, with the crowd possessing properties
different from those of the individuals forming it. It is difficult to prove the cause of this.
General qualities of character, governed by forces we are unconscious of, which most of us
have in the same degree, become common property in crowds. Individual aptitudes and
individuality are weakened, heterogeneous becomes homogeneous ad individuals are no
longer conscious of their acts.
Crowds can’t accomplish acts demanding of high degree of intelligence, the stupidity is
accumulated. A crowd is intellectually inferior to isolated individual. The nature of the
suggestion to which a crowd is exposed might make it better (or worse) than an individual; a
crowd might be criminal but can also be heroic.
What are causes of new characteristics forming when a crowd forms?
1. Individual gets feeling of power allowing to follow instincts he would’ve kept restrained
would he have been isolated. The feeling of responsibility of an individual disappears
2. Every feeling and act is contagious, induvial sacrifices personal interest to collective
interest.
3. Suggestibility determines characteristics of individuals of a crowd, which are different than
when individual is isolated (most important). The suggestion being the same for all
members gains in strength by reciprocity (different suggestions to the crowd mike
divert their plans)
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