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First published in 1899 during a period of crisis for French
democracy, The Psychology of Socialism details Le Bon's view of
socialism and radicalism primarily as religious movements. The
emotionalism and hysteria of the period--especially as manifested
during the Dreyfuss Affair--convinced Le Bon that most political
controversy is based neither on reasoned deliberation nor rational
interest, but on a psychology that partakes of contatgion
andhysteria. Le Bon points to the irrationality of religion and
uses the religiosity of socialism to debunk socialism as an
irrational movement based on hatred and jealousy.
In this clear and vivid book, Gustave Le Bon throws light on the
unconscious irrational workings of group thought and mass emotion
as he places crowd ideology in opposition to free-thinking and
independent minded individuals. The ideas le Bon explores in this
book are extremely relevant to today's society and were of pivotal
importance in the early years of group psychology. Applications
include financial market behaviour and political delusions. The
Sparkling Books edition has been annotated and edited based on the
1907 Alcan edition and previous translations.
First published in 1899 during a period of crisis for French
democracy, The Psychology of Socialism details Le Bon's view of
socialism and radicalism primarily as religious movements. The
emotionalism and hysteria of the period especially as manifested
during the Dreyfuss Affair convinced Le Bon that most political
controversy is based neither on reasoned deliberation nor rational
interest, but on a psychology that partakes of contatgion
andhysteria. Le Bon points to the irrationality of religion and
uses the religiosity of socialism to debunk socialism as an
irrational movement based on hatred and jealousy.
Gustav Le Bon's The Crowd is not only a classic, but one of the
best-selling scientific books in social psychology and collective
behavior ever written. Here, Le Bon analyzes the nature of crowds
and their role in political movements. He presents crowd behavior
as a problem of science and power, a natural phenomenon with
practical implications. Originally published in 1895, Le Bon's was
the first to expand the scope of inquiry beyond criminal crowds to
include all possible kinds of collective phenomena. Its continuing
significance is evident even in the Los Angeles riots of 1992 in
which Le Bon's theories were citedin testimony. Le Bon emphasizes
the various areas of modern life where crowd behavior holds sway,
particularly political upheavals. He focuses on electoral
campaigns, parliaments, juries, labor agitation, and street
demonstrations. At the same tune, his treatment of crowds is far
from complimentary. He likens crowds to "primitive beings," social
formations barkening back to the evolutionary origins of humankind.
Le Bon believed that ideas and images spread through a crowd by
means of contagion, an automatic process that produces a state of
transitory madness in its victims, extinguishing reason and will.
Yet he does more than dwell on the pathologies of crowd life; he
also writes of the heroism, the generosity, and the sacrifices of
crowds, of the indispensable roles they have played in erecting the
pillars of modern civilization. In a new introduction to this
edition, Robert Nye presents a broad analytical understanding of
the relationship between power and knowledge hi crowd theory. He
also discusses the historical circumstances and the various
personalities who have shaped our understanding of crowds. Nye
emphasizes The Crowd's continuing usefulness to cultural
historians, psychologists, sociologists, and political scientists.
He also places Le Bon in a rich tradition of European social
theory.
Gustav Le Bon's The Crowd is not only a classic, but one of the
best-selling scientific books in social psychology and collective
behavior ever written. Here, Le Bon analyzes the nature of crowds
and their role in political movements. He presents crowd behavior
as a problem of science and power, a natural phenomenon with
practical implications. Originally published in 1895, Le Bon's was
the first to expand the scope of inquiry beyond criminal crowds to
include all possible kinds of collective phenomena. Its continuing
significance is evident even in the Los Angeles riots of 1992 in
which Le Bon's theories were citedin testimony.
Le Bon emphasizes the various areas of modern life where crowd
behavior holds sway, particularly political upheavals. He focuses
on electoral campaigns, parliaments, juries, labor agitation, and
street demonstrations. At the same tune, his treatment of crowds is
far from complimentary. He likens crowds to "primitive beings,"
social formations barkening back to the evolutionary origins of
humankind. Le Bon believed that ideas and images spread through a
crowd by means of contagion, an automatic process that produces a
state of transitory madness in its victims, extinguishing reason
and will. Yet he does more than dwell on the pathologies of crowd
life; he also writes of the heroism, the generosity, and the
sacrifices of crowds, of the indispensable roles they have played
in erecting the pillars of modern civilization.
In a new introduction to this edition, Robert Nye presents a
broad analytical understanding of the relationship between power
and knowledge hi crowd theory. He also discusses the historical
circumstances and the various personalities who have shaped our
understanding of crowds. Nye emphasizes The Crowd's continuing
usefulness to cultural historians, psychologists, sociologists, and
political scientists. He also places Le Bon in a rich tradition of
European social theory.
In his discussion of the general psychological causes of
revolution, LeBon draws detailed illustrations of fundamental
points from the French Revolution, especially the period from 1789
to 1800. LeBon's treatment of psychological causes is not confined
to crowd actions or to the immediate descriptions of violent
episodes in revolutions. He draws upon contemporary French clinical
psychology to describe the pathological characteristics of the
revolutionary leadership in France and explains many of the events
of the period as a consequence of their influence.
One of the greatest and most influential books of social psychology ever written, brilliantly instructive on the general characteristics and mental unity of a crowd, its sentiments and morality, ideas, reasoning power, imagination, opinions and much more. A must-read volume not only for students of history, sociology, law and psychology, but for every politician, statesman, investor, and marketing manager.
The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind is a brilliant treatise on
the workings of crowds. Gustave Le Bon examines many different
kinds of crowds and how they work. He differentiates between
different kinds of crowds such as mobs, juries, elected bodies, and
simple crowds. This landmark book is one of the most influential
books ever written on this subject. An important book for anyone
studying or working in the fields of sociology, law, and
psychology.
"The following work is devoted to an account of the characteristics
of crowds. The whole of the common characteristics with which
heredity endows the individuals of a race constitute the genius of
the race. When, however, a certain number of these individuals are
gathered together in a crowd for purposes of action, observation
proves that, from the mere fact of their being assembled, there
result certain new psychological characteristics, which are added
to the racial characteristics and differ from them at times to a
very considerable degree."-From the Preface to "The Crowd: A Study
of the Popular Mind," a pivotal work in the field of group
psychology which was written in 1895 by French social psychologist,
Gustave Le Bon.
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