Herd Mentality

Sociology and Psychology

Photograph: John Lau

On January 6, the world watched in shock as the United States Capitol was attacked. Angered Trump supporters stormed into the building furious about the former president’s defeat in the 2020 election. Thousands gathered in Washington DC with a clear-cut goal: to overturn the election result. Carrying flags, signs, and crosses, protestors damaged the building and defaced the interior. Offices were ransacked and looted, windows were smashed, and violence was rampant. By the end of the day, 5 were killed and 140 were injured.

As the media captured the day’s events unfold, viewers were horrified. Shocked by the large number of participants and their actions, many took to social media to express their fear and anger. Videos and photos of the event were spread, celebrities and politicians spoke out about the hypocrisy, and the riots were a trending topic for several days.

Sociologists and psychologists closely analysed the day and the participants. Some of them were hell-bent on violence and conspiracy theories, seeing it as a battle or a war. Yet, the majority weren’t psychopaths or blood-thirsty QAnon supporters. They were merely ordinary people who bonded and deeply believed that the election was stolen from Donal Trump and it was their job to correct that wrong. The most common psychological phenomenon to lend insight to their motivation is known as herd mentality.

First put forward in 1895 by French psychologist Gustave Le Bon, the idea was inspired by the 1848 rebellion in France. He observes that, “​the sentiments and ideas of all the persons in the gathering take one and the same direction, and their conscious personality vanishes.” Essentially, he writes about a collected group mind. Those in a group would make different decisions than they would individually. People would get swept up and adapt their behaviours based on their surroundings. It is often associated with group thinking or decentralisation: those in a crowd are more anonymous than an individual, and it is easier to lose touch of themselves. The theory can be seen in many major history events, from the Salem Witch Trials to the Holocaust and the Second Red Scare. Even today, cancel culture can be linked to mob mentality. If there are threads dedicated to declaring a person as problematic, it’s easier to follow along than conduct extensive research to check their validity. As humans, we are hardwired to find a group or community that shares common ground.

You might scoff, believing that you would be immune to falling victim to herd mentality. However, keep in mind that, as long as you are in a group, it’s almost normal to succumb to the idea without even being aware of it. Perhaps you view yourself as a quiet or introverted person. Just attend a sporting match, and you would likely start screaming and cheering for your favourite team, getting swept up in the busy atmosphere. Or if you were in a crowded street, it’s almost natural to walk faster than usual to match the pace of those around you. It’s a well studied phenomenon — an experiment conducted by Leeds University had participants walk along a long hallway without talking. A few were given more detailed instructions about where to walk. The scientists found that everyone ended up blindly following the instructed people. In a room of 200, it only took one or two confident-looking people for the rest to mimic them.

Looking back at the events of January 6, a majority of the participants did not have criminal backgrounds. In trials and cases following the riot, they blamed the group and said they were swept up by those around them. They saw their actions as acceptable because it was a mirror of those around them. One participant explained he entered the building because “he was caught up in the crowd, and it was a once-in-a-lifetime event." However, by no means is this a justification or rationalisation, but is rather an excuse for their actions.

As long as there are people, this phenomenon can be observed. Looking back at history, from hundreds of years ago to several months ago, a pattern can be deduced. To be self aware, to examine your beliefs without heavy influence from others, to be cautious, to be insightful, and to surround yourself with the right people are just a few of the ways that we can ensure history doesn’t repeat itself.