The Psychology Behind The London Riots

As the year draws to an end, we look at “Minds of the Mob”: A Psychological Perspective on the London Riots.

The riots, which began in London and spread like a pandemic across the country, brought the  capital to its knees in August 2011.

The government, along with business owners and individuals alike, have been searching for answers to what sparked a contagion of violence and community destruction. A number of contributing factors have been blamed: the current economic climate, the influence of group mentality, the role of social media, de- individuation and a loss of community morale. These factors, along with the manifestation of an attitude system based on a sense of entitlement, coalesced into the mass devastation that was the London riots.

Economically, the riots are not only the result of local poverty in Tottenham and other areas of inner London but, more broadly, are also the consequence of the worsening capitalist crisis, which has thrust a disproportionate burden on this country’s working class.  Prior to the crisis, neo-liberalism meant that in Britain, the gap between the rich and the poor was widening (The London Riots And Triumph Of Neo Liberalism By Branko Milanovic). The top one percent in Britain have a minimum estimated wealth of £2.6 million per person, while the poorest ten percent have less than £8,800 per person (cars included). In other words, the poorest member of the one percent is almost 300 times wealthier then the richest member of the ten percent (London School of Economics, 2010).

Financial strain however was by no means the sole fuel of the London riots.  As Naomi (2011) argues, they were also a response to the looting of the public sector by political elites and the consistent escalation of bankers’ bonuses (Looting With The Lights On” Naomi Klein, guardian.co.uk 17/08/11).. Yet it is difficult to digest that the primary motive of the rioters was political, when they could be seen on the evening news trying on shoes before they stole them from JD Sports…

The term “selfishness” can be broken up into three words: greed, idiocy and criminality. These factors however, are merely the surface of something far deeper, darker and detrimental that took something as big as the riots to reveal.  An entire subclass of young people have been so coerced and manipulated by consumer goods suppliers that they have become addicted to the labels and technologies that feed their ego centric craving for social identity (“Is There Hope To Stop The Neo Liberal Agenda In Education?” Paul R. Carr, Brad J, Porfilio, Journal Of Inquiry And Action In Education. 4 (1) 2011.  The outcome is a “me- first” ultra-consumerist culture, in which the insatiable quest for possession of things overrides a caring for others. Materialism trumps compassion.

Moreover, the main concern of the rioters was “don’t get caught”. In a liberal society, rights are inextricably linked to responsibility. Those involved wanted rights without any responsibility and worse, believed that the destruction they caused was justifiable.

Crowd Psychology is believed to have played a significant role in the spread of this mass chaos. People can behave differently in crowds.  It is human nature. We are social beings and as such are susceptible to the dynamics of our social environments. Many famous experiments have shown how people override their own judgment in the face of group pressure (Asch, 1955 Opinions And Social Pressure. Scientific American, 193(5), 31-35). Nonetheless, crowd psychology or group mentality does not mean that we can overlook blame or culpability of the individuals involved, nor the inherent issues and systems in our society that underlie social turmoil.

Many speculators have focused on the role of social networking sites such as Facebook and |Twitter as a primary proliferators of the London riots. Social media undoubtedly had a significant role to play in “organising” the riots, but people forget that individuals were behind every comment posted, every picture uploaded, every status “liked”. Therefore the sites themselves were not the sinister criminals but simply useful tools that were abused and misused. Facebook and Twitter accelerated the pace of information travel, bringing groups together faster, but it did not put bricks and fire bombs into the hands of the looters . (Hall, T. 2011 cited In “London Riots: Blaming Social Media” By Pamela Rutledge, Positively Media, 2011).

It is evident that a combination of economic, sociological and psychological factors was at play in the recent social upheaval on the streets of London. Andrew Maxwell (2011), gave us an eye opening insight into the accumulated factors that stimulated the riots: “Create a society that values material things above all else. Strip it of Industry. Raise taxes for the poor and reduce them for the rich and for corporations. Prop up failed financial institutions with public money. Ask for more tax, while vastly reducing public services. Put adverts everywhere, regardless of people’s ability to afford the things they advertise. Allow the cost of food and housing to eclipse people’s ability to pay for them…..Light blue torch paper”.

Submitted by Jennifer Gleeson

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