Psych 135 5-6 Lecture

Escaping the self through distraction

A method to avoid self-awareness by engaging in activities that divert attention from personal thoughts and feelings.

Deindividuation

A psychological state characterized by diminished self-awareness and individual accountability, often occurring in large groups.

Conditions causing deindividuation

Anonymity, lack of accountability, arousal, presence of large groups, sensory overload, and altered states of consciousness.

Effects of deindividuation on behavior

Leads to uninhibited behavior, time distortion, reduced self-awareness, and behavior influenced by nearby others.

Flow state

A state of complete immersion in an activity where self-evaluation is minimal and one is fully engaged in the enjoyment of the task.

Gustav Le Bon's theory of crowd behavior

Proposed that large crowds can create a collective mind that leads to primitive and uninhibited behavior.

Phil Zimbardo's research

Identified factors that contribute to deindividuation, including anonymity, lack of accountability, and sensory overload.

Difference between deindividuation and flow

Deindividuation minimizes self-awareness and can result in negative behavior, while flow enhances engagement without self-evaluation.

• Flow has high control whereas deindividuation has low control

• deindividuation has strong social influence while flow isnt really attached to social influences

Impulsivity in deindividuation

In a deindividuated state, individuals may follow desires impulsively without considering long-term consequences.

Moral depravity and anonymity

Research shows that anonymity can lead to an increase in taboo language and higher shock intensity in experiments.

Ultimately good or bad contexts of losing self-awareness

Self-awareness loss can lead to both positive and negative outcomes, depending on the context and societal norms.

Dionysian vs Apollonian self

Dionysian relates to impulsive, uninhibited behavior, while Apollonian refers to self-control and reflective action.