Looking for movies and docos on mob psychology

[lewelma]

I younger son and I want to do a study on the power of crowds to influence individual perception and decisions.  We are going to read: The Crucible, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451, Lord of the Flies, and The Lottery (ss by Jackson). We would like to add to this some great movies, but I am having a hard time finding any that are not horror/scary/creepy.  Clearly, we are going to be making links to the current situation -- the run on TP or the 5G conspiracy theory for example.

Any suggestions for some great movies or documentaries on mass hysteria or mob/crowd psychology that are not scary/creepy?

Thanks!

Ruth in NZ

ETA:  He could probably handle a couple of sci fi /dystopia movies as a part of a balanced list, as long as it is not in the creepy category.

 

Edited April 15, 2020 by lewelma

[regentrude]

Die Welle (The Wave). Haven't see it myself, but seems to fit the theme. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wave_(2008_film)

 

[lewelma]

Nice variety here!  Thanks! 

He could probably handle a couple of sci fi /dystopia movies as a part of a balanced list, as long as it is not in the creepy category.

[wathe]

"The Falling" might be too creepy?  About mass psychogenic illness.

Aside:  Mass psychogenic illness is a fascinating phenomenon, with lots if interesting case reports.  I've had experience with two outbreaks of MPI:  There was an acute MPI outbreak at one of our local high schools about 10 years ago that totally overwhelmed our emergency department for a day or two - it was really quite something.  I also toured a fish-packing plant in New Brunswick (as part of a marine biology field course for my undergrad) shortly before there was a well documented MPI outbreak there (which I learned about/studied during an occupation health elective in med school).  I remember being struck by the working conditions at the time of my tour, and not at all surprised to hear about the MPI outbreak that followed.

ETA link

 

Edited April 15, 2020 by wathe

[lewelma]

6 minutes ago, wathe said:

"The Falling" might be too creepy?  About mass psychogenic illness.

This is fascinating.  I do think it is too much for ds, but I'd like to watch it!  Thanks!

[Ausmumof3]

1 hour ago, regentrude said:

Die Welle (The Wave). Haven't see it myself, but seems to fit the theme. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wave_(2008_film)

 

Dh read a book about the same thing during high school.  It obviously hit home because he still talks about it occasionally.

[Spy Car]

While the size of the "mass" is very small, the film 12 Angry Men would be a superb choice in my estimation.

Ditto on HeighHo's reccomendation of the Oxbow Incident.

Bill

[Carol in Cal.]

Julius Caesar by Shakespeare.

[kbutton]

I am nearly positive there has been something on Stuff You Missed in History, but I was unable to find it. I think it might've been on mass hysteria though, and I am not certain that's exactly the same.

They also probably have episodes on some of the things mentioned in this thread, like the Salem witch trials.

[katilac]

Not a movie, but I read your post title and immediately thought of the Twilight Zone episode The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street. 

[BakersDozen]

6 hours ago, HeighHo said:

The Ox-Bow Incident

Yes!!

12 Angry Men was also very, very good.

[BeachGal]

Not a movie, but the book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion discusses mob mentality. Robert Cialdini is the author. You can find some YouTube videos of him as well as articles and interviews.

[Tiberia]

Swing Kids is a good movie about Nazi youth indoctrination, and how that played out in a group of teens in pre-war Germany. It's a 1993 movie with a young Christian Bale. It should be good for young teens and up, but you might want to preview it first, depending on your son's age and sensitivities. 

[Pen]

I recall something, iirc probably on radio, maybe BBC, maybe RadioLab or some such, about research on How crowd action develops. Or maybe was even on a Great Course recording or an audio book. 

Anyway,  It was something like each person has a level at which they are apt to go along with the group , so if one person is an instigator to some action, anyone who it takes just one person to set them off (in general or specific to that type situation, cause, etc) will be swayed and join in.  Next anyone who is swayed by two people will join in...  and so forth     There may be more than one person at the one or two level... (and of course there may be deliberately planted instigators as well as a chance spontaneous happening).

If there is no one who is swayed at a level of one then the situation is that of a lone heckler or agitator,   If there aren’t people to be swayed at, say the dozen level, then it’s a small group uprising, but if there are lots of people at the 1, 2, 3 etc level it can rapidly become a “mob”.

 

Should you run into this or something like that, I would like to know whose research etc it was. 

 

[Violet Crown]

15 hours ago, lewelma said:

We are going to read: The Crucible, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451, Lord of the Flies, and The Lottery (ss by Jackson)

No movie suggestions, but you might consider Henrik Ibsen's play An Enemy of the People. There have been tv and movie versions of it. 

[OH_Homeschooler]

Oh boy, my background is social psychology so I could go on for hours. If you Google Famous Social Psychology Experiments you will find some interesting stories, at least.

Stanley Milgram performed many classic experiments on the power of the group to influence individual behavior, not just the one about obeying authority (although there are movies based on that one, if you are interested--just search for Stanley Milgram. May be too much for a kid though).

This explains a "lighter" study by Milgram:  https://www.anecdote.com/2018/02/005-the-street-corner-experiment/  I actually taught a research methods course for a while, and had the students replicate this study. It was hilarious to watch people's reactions.

The Kitty Genovese story is also probably too scary, but ultimately led to a lot of studies on helping behaviors--and situations that make people more or less likely to help. If there are many other people around when an incident occurs, each individual is less likely to take action because they assume someone else surely has already called for help. 

Beachgal's suggestion is great, that book is a classic. And while not a movie, you and your son could easily find examples from your real life to apply. You could have him watch commercials and point out which technique is being used, for example.  

[Guest]

17 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:

Dh read a book about the same thing during high school.  It obviously hit home because he still talks about it occasionally.

There was also an after school special type movie about it earlier in the USA. I don't know how easy it would be to find, but it would have been appropriate for a younger audience. 

Edited April 16, 2020 by dmmetler