Mass Beliefs

Origins of the Concept of Mass Beliefs

The concept of “mass,” articulated from the early through middle 20th century, refers to essentially rootless, alienated, and ignorant individuals, loosely affiliated in society and culture. Some theorists feared the masses' potential for mob violence, while others thought it necessary to foment political revolution among the masses. Generally, however, masses were thought to be docile and vulnerable to manipulation by political, economic, and military elite leadership and mass communication technologies. Elite images during the period ranged from positive to very negative.

The concept of “beliefs,” from a psychological, cognitive perspective, refers to an individual's informational components about objects, persons, events, ideas, and actions used to understand his or her world. Beliefs often are assumptions, ranging from simple to complex, and may include evaluative dimensions. It is often thought that individuals prefer internally consistent beliefs in order to avoid tension. Beliefs do not exist in isolation but have personal psychological unity. Many basic beliefs are held in common by most individuals within a society and culture and usually are considered incontestable. However, other beliefs are not shared and are debated. Psychologists have explored beliefs in conjunction with values, attitudes, and actions.

Political psychology addresses linkages between beliefs and social action. For example, there is widespread U.S. support for the sociopolitical value of humanitarianism, which advocates that more fortunate persons, groups, and nongovernmental organizations ought to provide assistance to the needy. There is tension between the values of humanitarianism and egali-tarianism: Egalitarianism advocates direct government intervention, whereas humanitarianism stresses voluntary assistance. Another example of tension that affects social action is illustrated in conflicts between values of social conformity, desire for social order, and the wish to maximize personal autonomy. These tensions, thought to generate perceived threat within the personality structure, are said to contribute to a mass belief impetus toward authoritarianism and limits placed upon civil liberties. The phenomenon partially explains prejudice and political intolerance against nonconforming groups. Evidently, a majority of individuals prefer social conformity and have strong impulses to enforce social cohesion via mandated obedience to political authority. Linkages between mass beliefs, values, and actions explain the impulse to punish nonconformists who challenge social norms. Individuals incorporate group-centrism into their thinking.

The Industrial Revolution of the late 18th and early 19th centuries disrupted traditional agrarian ways of life that revolved around small, isolated cultures. Greater societal dependence upon machine production of goods led to demand for unskilled labor. Subsequent dislocations were caused by large-scale migrations as people moved around the globe. Humans increasingly experienced class divisions, urbanization, and mass advertising. They consumed machine-produced goods. Growth of specialized industries and subsequent inter-dependencies led to losses in self-sufficiency. People experienced a quickened pace of life due to new transportation modes and communication technologies. Increasingly remote elites exercised monopolies in the organization and control of dominant forms of communication media and provided largely one-way message transmissions to the populace. Populations were eager to receive information and entertainment messages, even though the messages might be biased and/or debasing.

...