De-individuation
De-individuation happens when people lose their sense of personal identity in a crowd or online. This loss of identity reduces self-awareness and makes aggressive behaviour more likely.
Real World
During the 2011 London riots, many participants later said they felt invisible in the crowd and did things they would never do alone, such as looting shops in broad daylight while wearing hoods and scarves to stay anonymous.
Exam Focus
Always link de-individuation to reduced private self-awareness and weakened internal controls, not just 'being in a crowd'.
Evaluation Scaffold
A four-step framework for high-quality evaluation. Use this for 'assess', 'evaluate', and 'to what extent' questions.
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