Describe and evaluate deindividuation as an explanation for human aggression. [16 marks]

AO1

• deindividuation occurs when…

• sense of identity is lost

• role of private/public self-awareness…

• diffusion of perceived responsibility across the group

• loosened social constraints, go against society’s/our morals

• actions become dictated by the group instead

• engage in antisocial, often aggressive, behaviour

AO3

• support from Dodd (1985), asked 229 psych students what they would do if they could do anything without being found out, independent rater sorted answers into categories, found majority of answers were either antisocial or criminal, showing link between anonymity, deindividuation and antisocial/aggressive behaviour

• deindividuation doesn’t always result in aggression

  • Gergen (1973) found that when ppts were placed in a dark room, they became intimate with one another rather than attacking each other

  • Johnson and Downing (1979) found that ppts dressed in nurse outfits actively demonstrated prosocial behaviour when asked to deliver electric shocks

  • therefore loss of identity doesn’t always result in aggression as predicted by deindividuation

• phenomenon seen online, McGarty (2001) found that hateful comments on social medias were most likely to have been posted from accounts that concealed their identities (name/profile)

• theory has applications reducing aggression online, forcing users to display their name in computer games may increase their sense of identity, reduce anonymity and thus possible aggression