Organised crowds have always played an important part in the life of peoples, but this part has never been of such moment as at present.
The substitution of the unconscious action of crowds for the conscious activity of individuals is one of the principal characteristics of the present age.
The key features of an individual in a crowd are the vanishing conscious personality, the rise of the unconscious, and the swift conversion of suggested ideas into actions through suggestion and contagion.
He is no longer himself, but has become an automaton who has ceased to be guided by his will.
In the midst of the crowd, individual judgment is swamped by the overwhelming force of the group's influence.
Once submerged in a crowd, the individual becomes more susceptible to the dynamics of group think, losing his personal ethical moorings.
As part of the crowd, he is swept away by a collective stream, often adopting extreme ideas or measures that he alone might not consider.
In this transformed state, the crowd member experiences a diminishing of personal fear as anonymity provides a comforting shield.
Crowd psychology facilitates a bizarre unity, melding disparate individuals into a single entity with a common focus.
This unity is often directed by charismatic or influential figures who can steer the crowd's emotions and actions with alarming ease.
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In this sea of sameness, the individual becomes startlingly easy to manipulate. Without the anchor of personal convictions, they drift, vulnarable to whoever steers the crowd's will. It is here, in the pulse of the crowd, where manipulation is not only easy but often goes unnoticed.
The vulnerability of individuals within crowds extends beyond mere manipulation. Within the collective consciousness, moral responsibility becomes diffuse, diluted among the multitude.
Actions that would be deemed unethical or reprehensible on an individual level can be rationalized and justified within the context of the crowd.