Miscellaneous Thoughts

Mob/Group/Herd mentality

When people get together, many things can happen. Many people will act in ways they would not alone. As humans, many of us seek acceptance, and attention from our peers. The formation of a group is the result of multiple individuals coming together for one reason or another; with the formation of a group come consequences. One such consequence would be peer pressure.

As many of us know, peer pressure often results in reckless actions such as bullying, smoking, drinking, et cetera. Peer pressure can extend far beyond the listed actions, and some them are atypical. Typically you'd see examples of it in school, but it extends into the "adult world" just as well.

Now, not all peer pressure is necessarily bad, despite common belief. For instance, a friend convinces you to try a new food. You're scared to do it, but she's daring you to. How could you deny with that glare? She's practically staring at your soul. You take a bite. It's delectable. She smiles and says "See? I knew you would like it!" It's now one of your favorite foods.

The example may be simple, but it illustrates how peer pressure can be positive, and not merely negative. The question is now "How do I know when peer pressure is beneficial to a group and its individuals, and how do I know when it is harmful?"

The first step one should take is the identification of peer pressure. Did one of you persuade the other to do something? Then it is peer pressure. The next step is to identify and organize results. Did someone get hurt as a result of the pressure? It's negative. Vice versa? It's positive. If the goal of the group is to keep itself composed and have all members support the group, then minimize negative pressure and encourage positve pressure. Of course, if the group does not care about peer pressure. Then, it does not matter.

Peer pressure also negatively affects those outside of the group. For instance, destruction of private property to appease a friend. For instance, one kid in a group harasses another kid outside of the group. The kids laugh at a creul joke played on the child. The laughing encourages the antagonistic child to continually harass the victim. The victim is left in pain and the aggressors leave in satisfaction.

It is much harder to remove peer pressure from a group that you aren't a member of. The best thing to do in this scenario is to diffuse the group through interacting with one individual at a time. Encourage the individual to see things from a different perspective and show them the effects of their actions. Use empathy or try and be sympathetic to understand the individual and their actions. Explain to them how their actions can create a chain reaction and effect the lives of others. Give examples to support your argument. Don't antagonize the individual (regardless of your feelings towards them or their actions, this discourages change in an individual, and works against you), ever. Don't be discouraged if you don't succeed, we can't change someone unless they want to change themself.

As we can see herd mentality encourages reckless behavior, and can eradicate individuality in favor of tyrannical collectivism. Be on the alert for it. Don't fall victim to it, and know how to identity it.