The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind

This thread is for the discussion of the popular free e-book on Crowd Psychology written by Le Bon, Gustave.

The book concerns itself with the study of crowd behavior and how this has been used to great affect by TPTB for really thousands of years to control populations.

Some people it seems have an instinctive understanding of crowd psychology and have been the leaders of tribes, and nations for most of our written history. Below is the link to the e-book. Please take the time to read the book before making comments or if you have read it please provide the chapter links when you are discussing material within that chapter for others to follow your reading of the subject.

etext.virginia.edu...

This is a great starting work on the subject. If you have read this book and have follow on material that is freely source please let the thread readers have your source and comments on the related materials. Thanks.

[edit on 27-9-2009 by wayouttheredude]

Below is the index for quick reference to the book including links to the individual sections of the book so that if you do not want to leave ATS to discover what is in the book you have this reference below as a quick reference guide to the book.


# Book 1 BOOK I. THE MIND OF CROWDS.

* Chapter 1.1 CHAPTER I. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF CROWDS. -- PYSCHOLOGICAL LAW OF THEIR MENTAL UNITY.

* Chapter 1.2 CHAPTER II. THE SENTIMENTS AND MORALITY OF CROWDS.

* Chapter 1.3 CHAPTER III. THE IDEAS, REASONING POWER, AND IMAGINATION OF CROWDS.

* Chapter 1.4 CHAPTER IV. A RELIGIOUS SHAPE ASSUMED BY ALL THE CONVICTIONS OF CROWDS.

# Book 2 BOOK II. THE OPINIONS AND BELIEFS OF CROWDS.

* Chapter 2.1 CHAPTER I. REMOTE FACTORS OF THE OPINIONS AND BELIEFS OF CROWDS.

* Chapter 2.2 CHAPTER II. THE IMMEDIATE FACTORS OF THE OPINIONS OF CROWDS.

* Chapter 2.3 CHAPTER III. THE LEADERS OF CROWDS AND THEIR MEANS OF PERSUASION.

* Chapter 2.4 CHAPTER IV. LIMITATIONS OF THE VARIABILITY OF THE BELIEFS AND OPINIONS OF CROWDS.

# Book 3 BOOK III. THE CLASSIFICATION AND DESCRIPTION OF THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF CROWDS.

* Chapter 3.1 CHAPTER I. THE CLASSIFICATION OF CROWDS.

* Chapter 3.2 CHAPTER II. CROWDS TERMED CRIMINAL CROWDS.

* Chapter 3.3 CHAPTER III. CRIMINAL JURIES.

* Chapter 3.4 CHAPTER IV. ELECTORAL CROWDS.

* Chapter 3.5 CHAPTER V. PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLIES.

[edit on 27-9-2009 by wayouttheredude]

There's also TARDE, Gabriel. Like LE BON, he was another "crowd psychologist".

His book is on public domain:
www.archive.org...

And Memoirs of extraordinary popular delusions and the madness of crowds - Mackay, Charles, also in public domain:
www.archive.org...

And Machiavelli, Sun Tzu, and specially Cialdini.

That thread may give you some "in-field" action: www.abovetopsecret.com...

Most of those books are read by marketers, stock-market players, cult leaders, business leaders, etc...

I'll post my comments later.

[edit on 27-9-2009 by infobrazil]

reply to post by infobrazil


Thanks for contributing to the thread. I will put those on my to read list. Mind science has always fascinated me. These pieces you have linked in I have not seen yet I am sure.