Group
Related: crowd - mass - mob - outcast - sociology - society
The Fourth Estate, Il Quarto Stato (1901) - Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo
Group (sociology)
In sociology, a group is usually defined as a collection consisting of a number of people who share certain aspects, interact with one another, accept rights and obligations as members of the group and share a common identity. Using this definition, society can appear as a large group.While an aggregate comprises merely a number of people, a group in sociology exhibits cohesiveness to a larger degree. Aspects that members in the group may share include interests, values, ethnic/linguistic background and kinship. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_(sociology)
Herding instinct
The so-called herding instinct is a social tendency in humans to identify with and model many behaviors and beliefs after a larger group of individuals with whom they identify. This is sometimes referred to as "following the herd." Such people are sometimes labelled with the derogatory term "sheeple." --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herding_instinct [May 2006]
The Instincts of the Herd in Peace and War (1914) - Wilfred Trotter
Wilfred Trotter (1872-1939) was a British surgeon, a pioneer in neurosurgery. He was also known for his studies on social psychology, most notably for his concept of the herd instinct. Trotter argued that gregariousness was an instinct, and studied beehive, flock of sheep and a wolf pack. He met Sigmund Freud several times. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilfred_Trotter [May 2006]
The Mass Psychology of Fascism (1933) - Wilhelm Reich
The Mass Psychology of Fascism (1933) Wilhelm Reich [Amazon.com][FR] [DE] [UK]
The German freedom movement prior to Hitler was inspired by Karl Marx's economic and social theory. Hence, an understanding of German fascism must proceed from an understanding of Marxism.
In the months following National Socialism's seizure of power in Germany, even those individuals whose revolutionary firmness and readiness to be of service had been proven again and again, expressed doubts about the correctness of Marx's basic conception of social processes. These doubts were generated by a fact that, though irrefutable, was at first incomprehensible: Fascism, the most extreme representative of political and economic reaction in both its goals and its nature, had become an international reality and in many countries had visibly and undeniably outstripped the socialist revolutionary movement. That this reality found its strongest expression in the highly industrialized countries only heightened the problem. The rise of nationalism in all parts of the world offset the failure of the workers' movement in a phase of modern history in which, as the Marxists contended, "the capitalist mode of production had become economically ripe for explosion." Added to this was the deeply ingrained remembrance of the failure of the Workers' International at the outbreak of World War I and of the crushing of the revolutionary uprisings outside of Russia between 1918 and 1923. They were doubts, in short, which were generated by grave facts if they were justified, then the basic Marxist conception was false and the workers' movement was in need of a decisive reorientation, provided one still wanted to achieve its goals. If, however, the doubts were not justified, and Marx's basic conception of sociology was correct, then not only was a thorough and extensive analysis of the reasons for the continual failure of the workers' movement called for, but also and this above all-a complete elucidation of the unprecedented mass movement of fascism was also needed. Only from this could a new revolutionary practice result. --from the first page
see also: group - mass - psychology
your Amazon recommendations