Science, Tech, Math › Social Sciences Collective Behavior Share Flipboard Email Print Social Sciences Sociology Key Concepts Major Sociologists News & Issues Research, Samples, and Statistics Recommended Reading Psychology Archaeology Economics Ergonomics By Ashley Crossman Updated on December 04, 2014 Definition: Collective behavior is a type of social behavior that occurs in crowds or masses. Riots, mobs, mass hysteria, fads, fashions, rumor, and public opinion are all examples of collective behavior. It is argued that people tend to surrender their individuality and moral judgment in crowds and give in to the hypnotic powers of leaders who shape crowd behavior as they like. Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Crossman, Ashley. "Collective Behavior." ThoughtCo, Jan. 29, 2020, thoughtco.com/collective-behavior-definition-3026145. Crossman, Ashley. (2020, January 29). Collective Behavior. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/collective-behavior-definition-3026145 Crossman, Ashley. "Collective Behavior." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/collective-behavior-definition-3026145 (accessed March 29, 2023). copy citation