Social Psychology

The term mob mentality refers to similar pattern of behavior or thought by a group of people. The biggest factor of mob mentality is the need for people in a large group to conform or to yield to the pressure of peer pressure. People have a desire to belong which leads to a similarity in behavior and thoughts. The dynamics of the mob mentality are a group of people coming together and conforming to match their behavior to the behavior of others in the group. The word mob can be misleading because the mob mentality does not always lead to an angry group of people.

According to Paul Torrens () crowds are complex, adaptive systems that may seem chaotic but have an underlying order. There will be situations where the underlying mood of the mob or group can lead to more aggressive type behavior. For example if influential members of the mob are angry or frustrated these feelings could trickle down to the rest of the group resulting in an angry and frustrated mob. The human interactions of the group are influenced by their environment as well as the behaviors of other humans in the group.

Members of the group are impacted by both verbal and nonverbal behaviors. When feelings of anger or panic spread through the group it can create one mentality leading to mob behavior. The opposite of this is the benefits of the mob mentality. When the mob is displaying positive behaviors and thoughts this mentality can be a good thing (Mask, 2013). For example if the mob is focused on education or making improvements in society then mob mentality is a good thing. It does not always have to be negative or result in negative consequences.

People succumb to the mob mentality because it easier to fit in than it is to stand out of a crowd. The mob mentality is the result of people in the group thinking or acting in a similar way which causes more people to believe this thought is correct and to embrace these thoughts or behaviors. If this many people believe the same thing it must be right. The mob mentality can consist of a small group with similar behavior and thoughts or it can encompass and entire society. If the ideas and actions of the group are positive then the mob mentality is good but if this mentality leads to negative behaviors it is not.