Pluralistic ignorance
The articles Pluralistic Ignorance and Spectator Effect overlap thematically. So information you are looking for here may also be in the other article. You are
welcome to participate in the relevant redundancy discussion or to help directly to merge the articles or to better distinguish them from each other (→ instructions).
Pluralistic ignorance is a term from social psychology. It describes the situation in which a majority secretly rejects a norm, but mistakenly assumes that the majority accepts this norm (for example: "everyone believes that everyone else believes it, when in fact no one believes it").
The term was coined by Daniel Katz and Floyd Allport in 1931.
When a group of people is in an ambiguous situation that is difficult to assess and no one knows what to do, those present try to get clues about possible sensible behavior from observing each other. The group exerts informative social influence on its individual members. But if the others are also at a loss, pluralistic ignorance arises. This - together with the diffusion of responsibility - leads in an emergency situation to the fact that nobody intervenes or helps, because each individual adapts to the passive behaviour of the crowd. This can have fatal consequences if no one breaks away from this pluralistic ignorance and becomes a model for the other bystanders to follow.
The term became known through its use in the decision model of bystander intervention by Bibb Latané and John M. Darley, which aims to explain the provision of assistance or failure to provide assistance in emergency situations by the quantity of witnesses (bystander effect). Emergency situations can be slightly ambiguous or difficult to interpret situations that cannot be classified by the cue stimuli of the situation itself. In such ambiguous situations, people try to gain information about their environment by using the reactions of those around them as an aid to interpretation.
An aberration triggered by a misunderstanding within a group based on a similar phenomenon is described by the Abilene Paradox.
See also
- Groupthink
- Deindividuation
Questions and Answers
Q: What is plural ignorance?
A: Plural ignorance is a situation where most members of a group reject a norm privately, but assume that others accept it.
Q: How does plural ignorance come about?
A: Plural ignorance can be caused by the structure of the social network, where individuals assume that others hold certain beliefs.
Q: What is the consequence of plural ignorance?
A: Plural ignorance leads to a context where "no one believes, but everyone thinks that everyone believes".
Q: Is it possible for a majority of group members to reject a norm but still assume that others accept it?
A: Yes, that is the concept of plural ignorance.
Q: Can plural ignorance be caused by individual decision-makers not having necessary information?
A: Yes, a situation of plural ignorance can be a result of each individual decision-maker in a group not having the information required to solve a problem.
Q: Is plural ignorance a positive or negative situation?
A: Plural ignorance can have negative consequences because it can prevent individuals from expressing their true beliefs, leading to a lack of progress.
Q: Can plural ignorance occur in any type of group?
A: Yes, plural ignorance is a phenomenon that can occur in any type of group setting.
