Question

Brian Mullen reported in his research that the bigger the lynch mob, the more easily its members lose self-awareness and become willing to commit atrocities, such as burning, lacerating, or dismembering the victim. Individuals felt anonymous in the larger group. This exemplifies __________.a. pluralistic ignorance. b. group polarization. c. deindividuation. d. social loafing.

Answer 1

Answer: c. deindividuation.

Step-by-step explanation:

In social psychology, deindividuation is a phenomenon of losing self-awareness when in a group. When under influence, it is easier for people to take certain action that they would not normally take when on their own. People feel less responsible for certain actions in a group, and believe that they are anonymous. As Mullen found in his research, members of a big group are capable of burning, lacerating and dismembering their victims.

Pluralistic ignorance is a situation in which members of a group privately disapprove of certain norms of a group, while they publicly support them.

Group polarization happens when group as a whole makes a decision that is more radical than what would have been decided by the members on their own.

Social loafing is a theory that people put less effort in a certain activity when they do it in a group than when they do it on their own.