Question

How does Durkheim's idea of "collective conscience" compare to such notions as "group think" or "mob mentality

Answer 1

According to Durkheim, Collective Conscience refers to the shared attitudes and beliefs in a given society or culture. These beliefs and attitudes, Durkheim says act as the unifying force which bring people together in times of conflict or need. This idea is expanded to any group that functions with a common ideology because they all work towards a common goal. Mob, herd or gang mentality is slightly different from group think because in a group think people do things because they know what they do and most of the time it’s towards a positive outcome. In a mob, herd or gang mentality, people adopt certain behaviours even before knowing the cause for adopting that behaviour and it has more negative connotation and outcome.