Deindividuation

When someone joins a group setting, such as a costume party, they may find themselves doing something “out of character”, like stealing glassware.

Moments earlier, that same person had witnessed others perform similar acts of theft, pocketing other accessories.

In this situation, everyone was disguised and completely anonymous—they could easily get away with the disruptive actions that provoked further excitement and group cohesiveness. With more people piling into the party and the music getting even louder, the thieves could avoid any sense of personal responsibility!

This depersonalizing process of losing both self-identity or awareness and self-restraint is called deindividuation.

Without face-to-face interaction, it’s much easier to disinhibit a behavior when you’re not “personally” responsible for the actions—you’re lost in the mob’s demise.