[19th century Russian research about collective behavior]

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Social Psychology
• History of Medicine

Background:

• 19th-century psychiatric research extensively explored collective behavior and crowd psychology.
• Western European publications (French, English, German) have historically dominated the discourse.
• Comprehensive Russian research on the topic has been largely overlooked.

Observation:

• Most Russian authors discussed imitation, suggestion, and hereditary predisposition, aligning with Western counterparts.
• Viktor Kandinsky's 1881 monograph presented an independent hypothesis on crowd psychology.
• Kandinsky proposed a neuro-anatomical and physiological basis for the transition from normal to pathological states.

Findings:

• Kandinsky postulated a causal chain: exaltation leading to ecstasy, illusions, and hallucinations.
• Exaltation was identified as a critical precondition for uncritically accepting notions.
• Infected individuals in a crowd could easily spread hallucinations, particularly those prone to mysticism or with outstanding skills.

Implications:

• Kandinsky's hypothesis suggests crowd psychology can affect individuals regardless of their background or predispositions.
• This work offers a novel perspective on the psychological mechanisms underlying collective behavior.
• It underscores the importance of considering diverse international research in understanding historical psychological phenomena.