Deindividuation

What is deindividuation?

Deindividuation is a concept used to explain behavior when personal identifiability is reduced, often in crowds or anonymous settings. Classical theories proposed that reduced self-awareness weakened normal restraints and encouraged antisocial behavior.

What research shows

Postmes and Spears’s 1998 meta-analysis found little support for the classical account across 60 independent studies. Behavior was better explained by norms specific to the situation than by a general loss of social restraint.

Social identity, anonymity, and group norms

The social identity account proposes that reduced personal identifiability can make a shared group identity and its norms more influential. If those norms encourage cooperation, increased influence need not be antisocial.

Example: deindividuation online

Imagine an anonymous discussion group where members praise careful explanations and help newcomers. A shared identity could reinforce those cooperative norms. In a group that rewards insults, the same loss of personal identifiability could have a different meaning. The example shows why the group’s norms matter.

Understanding group behavior

Anonymity is not evidence that someone has lost their identity, become irrational, or become violent. Explaining a particular crowd or online interaction requires attention to its norms and context. Measures that increase identifiability should not be assumed to improve behavior in every setting.