Written by the Fiveable Content Team โข Last updated September 2025
Written by the Fiveable Content Team โข Last updated September 2025
Definition
Collective behavior is the spontaneous, unstructured, and temporary actions of a group of people in response to a specific situation or event. It is characterized by a shared sense of purpose or emotion among participants.
Organized efforts by a large group of people to achieve or prevent change in society over an extended period.
Mass Hysteria: A phenomenon where collective illusions of threats, real or imaginary, spread through a population in society as a result of rumors and fear.