{Collective Behaviour [– Social Unrest]}[7th October 1990]

[Redbook8:14-16][19901007:2155]{Collective Behaviour [– Social Unrest]}[7th October 1990]

19901007.2155 (Sun)

‘The American urban black uprisings of the 1960s were preceded and accompanied by a rise in tensions in black communities all over the country; the Russian Revolution was preceded by by several years of constant turmoil, involving random assassinations, strikes, and riots.

‘There are several distinguishing characteristics to social unrest.*

First, there is a general impairment of collective life routines. People find it difficult to concentrate on their work or even to adhere to rules in playing games. Any occasion to abandon routines is welcomed.

Second, people are hyper[-]reactive. The magnitude of the response is out of proportion to the usual meaning of any stimulating incident. A small police provocation elicits a major outcry of police brutality, a trivial success is the occasion for large-scale celebration. Milling* and rumour* abound, because incidents that would normally pass with little notice become occasions for both. Third, social unrest is marked by contagiousness. When restlessness is strictly individual, one person’s restlessness merely annoys another. But when restlessness becomes a shared experience, people are highly suggestible to one another. Questioning and exploring alternative courses of action are reduced to a minimum.***

Fourth, social unrest is unspecific with respect to grievances or activities. When there is social unrest in a school, students complain of both restrictions on their behaviour **&* and the lack of clearly defined rules; they find fault both with school administrators and with their fellow students.

Finally, social unrest is perhaps the most volatile of collective states. Unlike rumour or milling, it does not remain focussed on an issue or problem. Unlike crowd behaviour or fads, it has not yet been channelled into one main direction. Although social unrest may eventually die down without any serious aftermath, it is a condition in which people can be easily aroused.’

#

(This [ms diagram] is speculation;

‘social unrest’ also has

characteristics of J~)

[Milling:] eg ‘...People discontinue

routine activities, and talk....’

& eg ‘...People scuffle their feet, leave their seats & walk about,

& sometimes join spontaneously

in co-ordinated rhythmic behaviour such as foot-stamping.’

– E[ncyclopaedia] B[ritannica] 16:608

Note that this is collective (G~)

but not organised (M~) behaviour:

it is in some way spontaneous.

*[Division into paragraphs added in ts from here onwards]

**((the) 2 previous(?) stages of ‘elementary’ collective behaviour

– See E[ncyclopaedia] B[ritannica] 16:608-9)

***NB

****[This seems logical!}

#E[ncyclopaedia] B[ritannica] 16:607ff, Collective Behaviour

[continued]

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