Deindividuation

David Dodd describes a highly effective and entertaining exercise that illustrates the concept of deindividuation discussed in the text. According to Dodd, the object of this exercise is to demonstrate that even normal, well-adjusted college students are capable of deviant, antisocial behavior given the right situational conditions (e.g., feelings of anonymity and nonresponsibility). Have your students respond anonymously to the following question:

If you could be totally invisible for 24 hours and were completely assured that you would not be detected or held responsible for your actions, what would you do?

Ask students to record their responses on a blank sheet of paper (they should disguise their handwriting by printing neatly) and to fold their papers before turning them in. Collect students' answers and randomly select several to read aloud. At this point, students will react excitedly in anticipation of the results. Indeed, laughter usually erupts as common themes emerge, including criminal acts ("rob a bank" is often the single most popular response), sexual acts, and spying or eavesdropping. Although occasional charitable responses (e.g., resolving wars, ending world hunger) are revealed, antisocial acts typical outnumber prosocial ones. Dodd also likes to point out to his classes that the average number of antisocial responses given by his college students (36%) is no different than the number of antisocial responses given by inmates at a maximum security prison where he once taught.

Dodd, D. (1985). Robbers in the classroom: A deindividuation exercise. Teaching of Psychology, 12, 89-91.