What Is Deindividuation?

Jenna Chang, along with people who first studied the concept of anonymity in deindividuated behaviour, imposes findings through method of experimentations

When the world we live in is viewed from an anonymous, unbiased standpoint the individuality of ‘I’ has a tendency to diminish away and be replaced by a society of eyes. Who view one’s identity differently then what the individual can see. Life moves on whether we like it or not and how individuals view themselves verses how others perceive them can leave a lasting impression. Everyone has a unique identity and perspective of the world they live in. The way individuals see themselves may appear to be different than what others see in them because of different values, morals and characteristics that shape’s ones identity.

Everyone has been a part of an in-group or out-group at some point in their lives. The group with which one may have felt a sense of belonging and loyalty would be considered one’s in-group. Alternatively, the group with which one may have felt animosity or exclusion from could be considered one’s out group. Some examples of in-groups include: gangs, Nazis, friendship cliques, and colleagues. Being a part of either group has consequences that are positive, at times, and negative. Examining the ways in which dividing people into groups impacts individual’s lives is important because it allows one to gain a better understanding of why society functions in the way that it does, and how groups can influence one’s thoughts and behaviors.

As a person goes through their life, they encounter many choices and options. The most obvious ones are what they will wear, eat, or do for each day of their life. Everything that they do, even the most simple decisions, can and will impact them and who they are as a person. This will become a part of their identity. However, as the social beings humans are, their identities can be effected by those around them, virtually and physically. Most especially, every person’s identity is affected by the opinions and thoughts of others which can be expressed online, through verbal comments, and body language. This causes each person to question themselves and attempt to view themselves from the eyes of others. And when people question their identities

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, it has been estimated that 40 percent of adults with Schizophrenia and 51 percent of adults with severe Bipolar disorder receive no treatment within a one year period (2016). These staggering statistics are surmounted by the 20-25 percent of the American population that are homeless (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, 2009). These alarming statistics illustrate the need to address the social problem of mental health and homelessness and the need to develop programs to combat this epidemic. There are many factors that contribute to this social problem, such as the lack of funding that is appropriated to assist those with severe mental health diagnosis. Serious mental illnesses

Deinstitutionalization, the name given to the policy of moving people with serious brain disorders out of large state institutions and then permanently closing part or all of those institutions, has been a major contributing factor to increased homelessness, incarceration and acts of violence. By moving these people the responsibility of housing them went from the state to the federal government. States began moving brain ill patients that were going through rehabilitation from hospitals to nursing home with no rehabilitation. By the mid-1980s, 23 percent of nursing home residents had a mental disorder. Approximately 200,000 individuals with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder are homeless, which is about one-third of the estimated 600,000 homeless population. Nearly 300,000 individuals with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, of

One century prior, government mental institutions prevented harmful interactions between the mentally ill and the public through involuntary commitment and medication; deinstitutionalization—the closing down facilities and releasing of patients—moved many patients in need of care onto the streets, but we desperately need these facilities. Dr. Fuller E. Torrey, founder of the Treatment Advocacy Center, which works to eliminate barriers for mental illness treatment, concluded that “extensive research on the history of deinstitutionalization by various individuals and organizations have shown increase in jail population inversely related to the population of psychiatric institutions; as patients decreased, prisoners increase” ("The Release of

Deindividuation is the tendency for people to reject societal norms when they are unable to be specifically identified. While being online does not necessarily mean you are in the presence of a group of people, the effects are similar to those used by the Ku Klux Klan, where they covered their heads to remain anonymous, in this case, being in the confines of their home being their computer screen. Not only do people begin to lack self-awareness in the presence of others or if they are given the opportunity of anonymity, with the growing presence of the Internet and social media, deindividuation is now present online, where people can join groups around the world from their computer screen and create anonymous

“We are not born knowing who we are or what our place is in the social landscape; we learn to be American or Japanese, male or female, husband or wife, or Amy, Richard, Micheal, Rachel, or Rebecca.” Our identities are constructed by this “social landscape”. The social construction of identity takes place by living life through first hand experiences and through certain social circumstances. Amartya Sen says,” Classification is certainely cheap, but identity is not. More interestingly, whether a particular classification can plausibly generate a sense of identity or not must depend on the social circumstances.” Identity is a complex matter but can be defined in simple terms. It is who you are. Your personality, the way you act in response to

We are all social beings. We need to interact to share our views to influence each other and so we associate ourselves to a group. People try to protect their self-esteem and self-concept. But sometimes in larger groups, people do not get their due recognition for their actions. They gradually lose their identity in the group and identifies themselves by their group. This leads to the lack of responsibility and moral values. Deindividuation : A phenomenon that occurs in large-groups (crowd) situations in which individual identity is lost within the anonymity of the large group, perhaps leading to a lowering of inhibitions against negative behaviors (Bordens & Horowitz, 2017, p.311). Due to deindividuation, people lose their individual identity

Depersonalisation occurs when an individual identifies with a certain group as he/she adopts the group’s identity wherein his/her personal identity takes less priority and he/she tends to downplay his/her’s own personal attributes in favour of acquiring the group’s attributes (Swann Jr et al., 2009; Korte, 2007). An individual constructs meaning of this social identity through self-categorisation and adopts the appropriate behaviour that is expected and utilised within the group (Korte, 2007). This further suggests that individuals have the tendency to display behaviours that the group they identify with displays even if it conflicts with their personal identity (Korte, 2007). Also, the more salient an individual’s social identity, the more likely the

Although, Yang et al. (2017) also found that mindfulness reduced this effect. Overall it was revealed by the fragmentation hypothesis that positive self-presentation in mindful individuals, if it is monitored properly, prevents them from becoming overwhelmed by varying online identities, allowing them to maintain a clear sense of identity (Yang et al.,

According to psychologist John Suler and his idea of “The Online Disinhibition Effect”, some people, while online, self-disclose or act differently than they would

For the past decade or so there has been a considerable shift in the way we communicate with each other; instead of speaking face-to-face, we prefer to stay in touch by way of a Facebook post or Tweet. Social media dominates our life whether we’re using it, or not. However, not all online dissonance has been healthy and civil. The internet has seen a rise in the number of trolls and predators that lurk the dark corners of the Internet. Threats, and heinous insults flood media networks like Reddit and Snapchat. Online predators who fling insults are enamored by the internet’s alluring anonymity and can’t give it up. Like Christine Rosen says in her article called, “In the Beginning Was the Word,” “technology has introduced new words, changed the meaning of others, and has even introduced new forms of language and communication” (230). The evolutionary trend and prevalence of people intentionally offending others online has led to a

An individual’s identity is shaped and created by many factors such as family, culture, and friendship groups (Trepte, S. 2206). The individual’s personal identity of “self” may alter when interacting with any of these groups due to the influence and the characteristics these groups possess (Burke, PJ. Sets, JE. 2000). The human desire to feel a sense of belonging is the driving force for individuals to create themselves around particular groups (Trepte, S. 2206). When people find out that their experiences, thoughts and feelings are mirrored by other people, an immediately connection is formed due to the understanding that they are not isolated in their experiences (Rogers, W.S. 2011). The common ground individuals find in others, allows for the formation of groups (Trepte, S. 2206). The “commonality” amongst certain groups of people allow for Social Categorization (Burke, PJ. Sets, JE. 2000). Social