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Deindividuation

dee-in-div-ij-oo-AY-shuhn /diː.ɪn.dɪ.vɪdʒ.uˈeɪ.ʃən/

nounC1GREAP Psychology

AcademicScientific

The loss of self-awareness and individual accountability that occurs in group situations.

Explains how crowd immersion or anonymity lowers personal inhibitions, leading to behavior one would normally avoid.

The story behind the word. Coined by psychologist Leon Festinger and colleagues in 1952, combining 'de-' (reversal) with 'individuation' to describe the unspooling of moral self-monitoring in group settings.

Word relationships

anonymity: Anonymity is the physical condition of being unidentifiable, which triggers deindividuation.

individuation: Individuation is the psychological development of a distinct, self-aware individual identity.

Commonly confused with

Anonymity: Anonymity is being unknown; deindividuation is the psychological psychological state of reduced restraint that anonymity produces.

Word family

deindividuate (verb): To cause a person to lose their distinct identity or self-awareness.

Collocations

state of deindividuation
induce deindividuation
foster deindividuation

Idioms & expressions

lost in the crowd

Example sentences

"Anonymity in the stadium crowd led to deindividuation, prompting fans to hurl insults they would never utter alone." Crowd Dynamics
"Online avatar disguises facilitate deindividuation, making users feel invisible and lowering their moral inhibitions." Cyberpsychology

Memory hook

DE-individual: taking away the individual identity until only the mob remains. Losing 'me' in 'we'.

When not to use

Do not use to describe constructive teamwork or positive self-sacrifice.

Fun facts

Wearing masks or uniform disguises dramatically accelerates deindividuation in laboratory experiments.

Explore more words

groupthink, herd, internalization, socialization, absorption, ignominy