Reference Room (People) #22: "Gustave Le Bon" <- A historical figure in the study of crowd psychology, which could also be called information manipulation
In this installment, let's take a look at "Gustave Le Bon".
As a master of crowd psychology research, applying his knowledge can even move the world.
It is difficult to say, but there is a high possibility that the infamous Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, also applied his knowledge.
I wish Minister Goebbels had used his abilities for something better.
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"Gustave Le Bon (Charles-Marie Gustave Le Bon, May 7, 1841 - December 13, 1931)": A French physician, psychologist, and sociologist, best known as the author of "The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind" (Psychologie des Foules, 1895).
Biography and Background
Birth and Death: Born on May 7, 1841, in Nogent-le-Rotrou, France, and passed away on December 13, 1931, in Marnes-la-Coquette.
Academic Fields: After studying at the University of Paris and obtaining a doctorate in medicine, he conducted research in a wide range of fields including anthropology, psychology, sociology, physics, and engineering.
Career: He served as a military doctor in the French Army during the Franco-Prussian War, and witnessing the destruction caused by the Paris Commune sparked his interest in social psychology, particularly crowd psychology.
Influence: His crowd psychology had a significant impact on social psychology in the first half of the 20th century.
Main Arguments of "The Crowd"
Le Bon's concept of crowd psychology does not refer to a state where many people are simply gathered together, but rather a state where a collective psychology has formed a single mental unity.
Disappearance of Conscious Personality: It is argued that in a crowd, an individual's conscious personality fades, and an unconscious personality emerges.
Automatization: Individuals lose their sense of responsibility for their actions and become like automatons, having lost the power to guide themselves with their own will.
Simplification and Exaggeration of Emotions: Crowds do not understand subtle nuances; their emotions become simple and extreme, and because their power increases when they gain general approval, they tend to swing from one extreme to another.
Impulsiveness and Capriciousness: They exhibit extreme behavior in response to momentary stimuli and lose consistency.
Suggestion and Contagion: Crowds are highly susceptible to suggestion, and the emotions or actions of one person can instantly spread to the whole, potentially causing mass hysteria.
Manipulation by Leaders: He argued that leaders of crowds can manipulate them by appealing to emotions rather than logic, using methods such as assertion, repetition, and contagion.
Le Bon argued that social phenomena following the Industrial Revolution were driving people into this state of crowd psychology, and he warned that the expansion of mass democracy was increasing the influence of the crowd.
YOUTUBE search key: Crowd Psychology Le Bon - YouTube