Social pressure in a crowd exerts a complex influence on both behavior and the decision-making process.

The Impact of Social Pressure in Crowds

Social pressure in a crowd exerts a complex influence on both behavior and the decision-making process. According to the author in source link txt (page: 303), a person is constantly haunted by the fear of being ridiculed or judged:

"We are always painfully preoccupied with how our actions will be perceived; the fear of mockery, scornful looks, and dismissive attitudes often paralyzes our best and noblest impulses. It is precisely here that the full force of social pressure is unleashed, to which we are extremely sensitive, even if we are not fully aware of it. The most striking symptom of social pressure is the dreadful intensity of social shame that can overcome us. We fear public condemnation, and even if a harsh public verdict condemning us turned out to be mistaken—a mistake later exposed to all—this shadow still casts a permanent darkness over our soul. There are reproaches, suspicions, even words that an individual cannot bear from the surrounding environment."

This leads to the situation where, in a crowd, a person may lose confidence in their actions and begin to conform to the group’s expectations.

Another important aspect is reflected in the description of the influence of a crowd on personal responsibility (source link txt, page: 1938):

"On a psychological level, a person in a crowd often acts differently than they would when alone. A crowd can reduce personal responsibility for one's actions and even evoke a sense of anonymity, which allows people to exhibit emotions and tendencies that are uncharacteristic of them in everyday life. It is important to note that social pressure in a crowd can distort the perception of reality and lead to behavior that a person would not dare to display under other circumstances."

Thus, under the influence of a crowd, an individual experiences diminished control over their decisions, a distortion of reality, and may make choices that contradict their personal convictions.

The influence of group pressure is also vividly illustrated by Solomon Asch's experiment, as described in source link txt. The experiment showed that even an obviously incorrect collective choice can compel a person to doubt the accuracy of their own observations: participants, when confronted with unanimous opinions from others, begin to question even trivial matters, highlighting the power of group pressure on individual judgments.

In summary, social pressure in a crowd can lead to changes in behavior driven by fear of public condemnation, a sense of anonymity, and reduced personal responsibility, which collectively cause a person to act in ways different from how they would when acting independently.

Supporting quotes:

"We are always painfully preoccupied with how our actions will be perceived; the fear of mockery, scornful looks, and dismissive attitudes often paralyzes our best and noblest impulses. It is precisely here that the full force of social pressure is unleashed, to which we are extremely sensitive, even if we are not fully aware of it. The most striking symptom of social pressure is the dreadful intensity of social shame that can overcome us. We fear public condemnation, and even if a harsh public verdict condemning us turned out to be mistaken—a mistake later exposed to all—this shadow still casts a permanent darkness over our soul. There are reproaches, suspicions, even words that an individual cannot bear from the surrounding environment." (source: link txt, page: 303)

"On a psychological level, a person in a crowd often acts differently than they would when alone. A crowd can reduce personal responsibility for one's actions and even evoke a sense of anonymity, which allows people to exhibit emotions and tendencies that are uncharacteristic of them in everyday life. It is important to note that social pressure in a crowd can distort the perception of reality and lead to behavior that a person would not dare to display under other circumstances." (source: link txt, page: 1938)

"The role of group conformity in altering a person's opinion was demonstrated in the famous experiment by Dr. Solomon Asch on perception, in which participants were asked to determine which of three comparison lines matched a standard line. This experiment showed that even when the correct answer is simple and unambiguous, people begin to doubt its accuracy and even experience an 'epistemological nightmare' when the other members of the group (in reality, 'planted confederates') give an incorrect answer to the question posed." (source: link txt)