The Herd mentality

Herd mentality

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Herd mentality describes how people are influenced by their peers to adopt certain behaviors, follow trends, and/or purchase items. Examples of the herd mentality include the early adopters of high technology products such as cell phones and iPods, as well as stock market trends, fashions in apparel, cars, home décor, etc. Social psychologists study the related topics of group intelligence, crowd wisdom, and decentralized decision making.

People in these herds are broken up into two groups, explains Friedrich Nietzsche, a philosopher who coined the phrase. One lended itself to the religious points of views- their beliefs and how those dictated their actions- while the other lended itself to influence by the media- based upon what others perceive as 'right' (following trends, social norms, etc.). Nietzsche perceived these two forms of subservience to be a weakness among the common man, and that the "Superman" as Nietzsche terms is the one who overcomes the values of the fallible herd.

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1.Herd mentality describes how people are influenced by their peers to adopt certain behaviors, follow trends, and/or purchase items.

The Herd Mentality in relationship to forum members,

1. Are you a leader or a follower?

2. How easily can your opinion be swayed?

3.Would you know if you were being manipulated?

Seriously?

Would you know, or could it be gradual and subconsciously.

Ah, good ol Nietzsche, swinging the "Hammer of the Gods".

Not a "happy man" by far, but not a man to be overlooked when questing to widen your scope of philosophy.

Me? I'm not a leader, or a follower, or a sheep, or a robot, or any buzzword they will try to attach to people these days.

I am me...and that's as far as I allow labels to attach to my being.

reply to post by Mr Mask


Everybody is something. You live in the US. You pay taxes. You probably either pay rent or a mortgage. You probably shop at a grocery store. You probably wear clothes. I'm sure there are even things you enjoy doing as hobbies or watching on t.v. All of these things make you somewhat of a follower.............or a "sheep". We are all slaves or sheep up to a point. Some of us are leaders and trend setters as well.

And WE ALL have a breaking point my friend

reply to post by Stormdancer777


1. Are you a leader or a follower?
neither, I don't like the responsibility of being a leader and probably lack the skills for it as well. And a follower? nah.. not for me. I don't like being part of an 'obvious herd'

2. How easily can your opinion be swayed?
My opinion can be swayed when I have seen enough evidence that the other option is more likely to be true then my current opinion.

3.Would you know if you were being manipulated?
I'd love to say yes, but sadly my experience has taught me that some are masters of manipulation and it can take a long time before you recognize them as such.
I hope that experience will help me recognize manipulation in the future. I hope

Seriously?
yes, seriously

Would you know, or could it be gradual and subconsciously
see previous answer


As for 'herds', within a society we are all interconnected and on some level dependent on each other, so I guess a society is a herd on it's own.
Not many escape from that.


[edit on 13/11/2009 by GypsK]

No...I do not do many of those things.

I do not buy cloths. I do not handle or respect money. I do not watch TV or concern myself with the world's popular culture.

I am far from a follower or a leader. I am a biological entity born in a hostile void and well aware of my own potential and liability.

Sorry...but my life is not one of those lives you may recognize as similar to the herd.

I walk a very strange path.

I understand you may assume "all lives are somehow applicable to Nietzsche's philosophy"...That sort of implies you are saying Nietzsche's philosophy is correct and inescapable by all walks of human intelligence.

I have read much Nietzsche in the past and find him to be stilted, biased, bitter and wrong. But...a joy to read! Interesting guy.

But no...herds are not for me, and no I do not see myself involved with his "tiny view" on herd mentality.

Not that I don't see billions of people guilty of this...just not myself.

Ego? No. More like identity.

i am always troubled by the herd mentality. i recognise it and try to distance myself from it as much as possible, which in all actuality is much easier said than done.

when i was in the army, i used to comment that "soldiers are so freaking stupid".....and immediately look down at the uniform i was wearing. point being: you've gotta own it.

that being said, i am grateful that the path of my life has taken me to the fringes of society where i can look at the things going on around me and willfully reject the more common and mundane thought and behavior patterns.

the mind and the self-concept are so so terribly valuable. it is a shame that the majority of folks are so easily swept away.

reply to post by Mr Mask


You're posting on the computer using the internet buddy. You're not far removed from the matrix as you want others to believe. You're more of a follower than you will admit. That's ok. You're obviously a vegetarian as well........that's definitely a follower.

reply to post by Mr Mask



Are you the type that refuses to shower and use deodorant because it's a "herd mentality" thing.

You've even admitted you use "lawyers". HAHA and you're calling me a hypocrite. WOW!

And I"ve never read a sinlge thing of Nieztsche in my life. LOL.

[edit on 13-11-2009 by Zosynspiracy]

I am not a very good herd member. I am neither influenced by religion or by the media. I don't buy the latest of anything. I buy what makes me comfortable.

Originally posted by Stormdancer777
1. Are you a leader or a follower?

I would say that I'm a leader. I think most of my co-workers and friends would agree.

2. How easily can your opinion be swayed?

Not very easily. I'm pretty hard-headed. But I won't hold onto a belief if I see enough evidence to sway me. It takes some pretty solid evidence, though.

3.Would you know if you were being manipulated?

Well, if I were being successfully manipulated, and I knew it, I would put a stop to it, and wouldn't be manipulated any more. So I'd have to answer no, I wouldn't know it if I were being successfully manipulated.

Originally posted by Zosynspiracy
reply to post by Mr Mask

 

You're posting on the computer using the internet buddy. You're not far removed from the matrix as you want others to believe. You're more of a follower than you will admit. That's ok. You're obviously a vegetarian as well........that's definitely a follower.

Having a computer since the late 80s makes you a follower? Hmmm...I see.

Using a device to communicate to the world is "following"? Hmmm...ok.

I am a vegetarian? HAHAHAHAH....ok.

I understand you are a bit "upset" with me misunderstanding you comments on another board...but you have done the same in seeing me as an admitted vegetarian. That is something I have never said. I hope you have as much grace in seeing your own mistakes as I "try" to have with my own.

Also...admitting to never reading Nietzsche is far from a "radical nonconformist way of being". In fact, I'd assume MOST people have never heard of him.

Good luck out there.

HI, and thanks for the insightful posts,

I am bullheaded and stubborn, Not easily led,

Right now I am waiting for inspiration to lead me into the next point I would like to make,

I might get banned doing it though,

Post of the every week on Psychology, Philosophy and Metaphysics

Yes, most people are lazy and uncertain thereby they want someone to run the show for them, so they can just watch passively and obey.

And they can also blame on them. The sheeple throw stones to the scapegoat.

It's television, preachers, gurus, managers, advertising, news, government, ATS posters and especialy Internet Forum Moderators and Administrators, friends, parents, teachers, celebrities.

Self-reliance is the key... be the owner and not the minion because "the blind are leading the blind and both will fall into the ditch".

"Tarde's masterpiece, Laws of Imitation - argues that society is imitation and that imitation should be analysed as a kind of somnambulism."

You've been warned!

PS.: We learn most things unconciously. Imitation is so strong that I have a employee that is stutterer and just by talking to him I started to do a bit of stuttering too, even when he was not around. My english may suck, but my language skills on portuguese (I'm brazilian) are top notch.

[edit on 13-11-2009 by infobrazil]

Originally posted by Stormdancer777
Herd mentality


The Herd Mentality in relationship to forum members,

1. Are you a leader or a follower?

2. How easily can your opinion be swayed?

3.Would you know if you were being manipulated?

Seriously?

Would you know, or could it be gradual and subconsciously.

1. I try to be the leader in every setting I am put in. Following is for sheep. I like to take charge and be the decision maker. I don't like being told what I have to do.

2. My opinion in my mine and it is formulated on the impute of assimilated information from my own research. Research of facts and truth of all data and opinions of both sides of the issue. then I form my own opinion based on everything I find.

3. Yes I would know if I am being manipulated. those who want you to "see their side" are usually the ones who only see things from one side and will call you stupid at a drop of a hat if you have a descending opinion. Again my opinion is mine and no one can manipulate me.

I forgot the questions:

1. A leader or follower?
I would say that most of the time I am a follower. I don't exactly follow fashion, media news, politics or tangible things like that. I am a follower of my customs, rely on my experiences: maybe I just follow me. I do not like to make decisions, so I am not a leader.

2. How easily is my opinion swayed?
If I have a firm belief or opinion, I will listen to what the other person has to say. I may or may not incorporate some of their opinion but the basic opinion I have will stay the same. I believe there is some (little bit?) truth in most everything and always room to learn.

3. Would I know if someone were manipulating me?
That depends on what type of manipulating was going on. If someone is yelling and berating me, I know that is manipulating. If someone is giving me excessive compliments that I know are not true, I know that is manipulating. But, sometimes I do get manipulated and don't recognize it because I tend to take people at face value and think that everyone is nice and that is where I get stuck in the rear. After a bit, I usually figure it out....too late.

Serious as cancer.