Page 578 - Understanding Psychology
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Conflict and Cooperation
Reader’s Guide
Exploring Psychology
Watching From Above
This was the evening of April 29, 1992. The Los Angeles Riots were erupt- ing below us. . . .
I peered though my side-window as the copter continued to circle in a steep bank. I could see the traffic was moving through the intersection below us. I watched as various cars whipped in a U-turn around to avoid the ominous chaos ahead. There were clusters of people mill- ing around. They were throwing rocks and bottles at passing cars. There were no police officers around, just an unruly mob venting hate on innocent motorists who happened to find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time.
—from News at Ten: Fifty Years With Stan Chambers by Stan Chambers, 1994
s Main Idea
Conflicts between groups are a fact of everyday life. Individuals perceive and respond to situations differently in a group, sometimes giving up responsibility for their actions.
s Vocabulary
• aggression
• catharsis
• altruism
• diffusion of responsibility
• bystander effect
• social loafing
• deindividuation
s Objectives
• Explain causes of group conflict and
cooperation.
• Summarize how group dynamics
promote or restrain altruism and aggression.
In April 1992, the media released footage of four white police officers beating an African American motorist. When jurors found the officers not guilty of charges including assault and excessive use of force, mob violence erupted in South Central Los Angeles. That violence continued for several days and fed on itself, resulting in 55 deaths and $1 billion in damage.
What causes group violence? Why did some people in Los Angeles harm others? Would they have committed those same lawless acts in a dif- ferent and calmer atmosphere?
564 Chapter 19 / Group Interaction