La ola (Die welle). Análisis Cine + Psicología. Psicología y masas, Subculturas, Minorías activas

The Experiment of Autocracy in a Modern Classroom

Introduction to the Course and Initial Reactions

• Professor Rainer Wenger intends to teach a course on anarchy but is assigned to teach autocracy, leading him to discuss fascist dictatorships, particularly Nazism.

• To engage students skeptical about the possibility of such ideologies resurfacing in modern Germany, he proposes an experiment demonstrating how easily masses can be manipulated.

The Structure of the Experiment

• Students are instructed to address him as "Mr. Wenger" and must stand up and speak concisely when participating.

• The film adapts real events from Palo Alto High School where Ron Jones conducted a social experiment called "The Third Wave," emulating Nazi characteristics among students.

Themes Explored Through the Film

• The film serves not only as entertainment but also as a learning tool for various subjects like group dynamics, motivation, social psychology, and authority.

• Both this film and its German counterpart explore similar themes through experimental situations that reveal disturbing aspects of human nature while allowing for healthy discussions.

Factors Favoring Autocratic Regimes

• In one scene, students identify factors conducive to establishing an autocratic regime: ideology presence, inflation, control and surveillance, unhappiness, central figures, high unemployment rates, social injustice, and extreme nationalism.

• A critical observation made by the film is the lack of parental care or intelligence in homes; hostile environments contribute significantly to student behavior.

Social Dynamics Within Student Groups

• Emotional refuge for students comes from associations like water polo teams or theater groups due to neglectful home lives.

• An example from the theater club illustrates chaos until one student takes charge—highlighting a desire for order and leadership among peers.

Psychological Insights on Group Behavior

• The experiment exemplifies how dictatorial ideologies attract masses; Borges' story reflects this phenomenon regarding historical patterns of manipulation.

• Despite being written decades ago, Borges’ insights remain relevant today as demonstrated by "The Wave."

Minority Influence in Social Structures

• Social psychology analysis reveals concepts like active minorities influencing societal structures; Serge Moscovici's theory highlights their role in effecting change.

• Initially confined within their classroom setting, these students' identities evolve into a collective force impacting others at school.

Visibility of Subcultures

• The movement gains visibility beyond anonymity due to its nature; it raises questions about what distinguishes it socially from other groups.

Subcultures and Their Characteristics

Defining Subcultures

• Ticketbis explains in his book "Subculture" that members of subcultures reject the dominant culture through gestures, movements, poses, clothing, and expressions that manifest their contradictions and negations towards society.

• The three key elements defining a subculture are:

• Clothing

• Slang or spoken language shared for interaction

• Unique gestures to communicate specific attitudes.

Contrasting Subculture with Counterculture

• Milton Ying-er differentiates between subcultures and countercultures; the former has distinct but not opposing values, while countercultures promote values that oppose the dominant system.

• The film illustrates how some members of "The Wave" experiment engage in vandalism, highlighting that not all countercultures express dissent through such actions.

The Appeal of Authoritarian Movements

Understanding Mass Attraction to Dictatorships

• The film addresses why authoritarian movements like fascism attract masses through their dictatorial ideologies.

• Professor Reiner Wenger's experiment results dramatized in the film reflect on human gregarious instincts which significantly influence individual behaviors and perceptions of reality.

Psychological Foundations of Group Affiliation

• Freud's theoretical treatment of gregarious instincts suggests a powerful need for affiliation leads individuals to suppress personal inclinations for group acceptance.

• This historical context indicates that primitive survival instincts necessitated group cohesion among early humans.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Importance of Belongingness

• Abraham Maslow's theory emphasizes belongingness as a crucial human need; its absence can lead to psychological harm despite it not being life-threatening.

• The mid-level needs in Maslow's pyramid focus on belonging or affiliation, driving individuals toward groups fulfilling this need.

Variability in Need Satisfaction

• Eric Berne notes that the minimum unit of human communication is recognition (or "stroke"), indicating varying degrees of need for acknowledgment among individuals.

• In "The Wave," many participants already belonged to artistic or sports collectives, suggesting they were more susceptible to joining groups satisfying their identity needs.

Identity Formation During Adolescence

Erikson’s Developmental Stages

• Erik Erikson proposed that adolescence is critical for identity formation during his fifth developmental stage—identity vs. role confusion.

Understanding Identity Formation in Adolescence

The Role of Adolescence in Identity Development

• The construction of personal biography occurs during adolescence, a critical period for individuals to explore their identity and aspirations.

• Adolescents must identify with certain groups while also recognizing who they are not, which is essential for forming social identities.

Ideological Influences on Youth

• The film "Jojo Rabbit" illustrates how children are indoctrinated with ideologies, particularly the hateful views propagated by Nazi Germany.

• Social identity theory, as discussed by psychologist Henry Rangel, emphasizes categorization and differentiation among groups to establish social identity.

Group Dynamics and Social Distinction

• Elements like clothing, greetings, and slang foster recognition among group members while facilitating comparisons with others.

• This dynamic explains social phenomena such as stereotypes, discrimination, and conformity seen in the film's narrative.

Acceptance and Rejection within Groups

• Membership in a group can lead to questioning of its values but also fosters intolerance towards outsiders.

• A scene highlights the initial indifference towards a character named Caro due to her nonconformity to group norms.

Power of Unity and Conformity

• Group unity is portrayed as powerful; actions taken collectively enhance this sense of strength while diminishing individual differences.

• The symbolism behind uniformity (e.g., clothing color choices) may critique historical ideologies like Nazism regarding racial purity.

Consequences of Social Conformity

• Conformity leads to submission and acceptance under peer pressure; these dynamics are evident in students' interactions with their leader.

• Cognitive transformation occurs as individuals become convinced of their group's superiority through reinforcement from authority figures.

Characteristics of Conformist Personalities

• Tim represents a conformist personality type characterized by low self-esteem and high anxiety levels that make individuals susceptible to authoritarian influence.

Understanding Group Dynamics and Responsibility

Theoretical Perspectives on Group Behavior

• The discussion begins with a reference to Marko, highlighting the reactions of a group towards a perceived traitor and their potential punishment for opposing them. This sets the stage for exploring two theoretical perspectives on group behavior.

• The first theory introduced is the concept of diffusion of responsibility, which suggests that as the number of bystanders increases in an emergency situation, individuals are less likely to intervene, believing someone else will take action.

• In the film "The Wave," this concept is illustrated through scenes where some students remain inactive (the bystanders), while others act out aggressively under peer pressure, showcasing both inaction and mob mentality.

• The active participants in "The Wave" exhibit behaviors they might not normally display due to anonymity and collective euphoria, demonstrating how group dynamics can lead to extreme actions.

• The narrative critiques Germany's historical lessons from World War II, suggesting that despite past traumas, similar movements like Nazism can resurface if society fails to learn from history.

Mass Psychology and Collective Behavior

• The second theoretical perspective aligns with mass psychology, indicating that group behavior often appears irrational and emotionally driven. This reflects Gustave Le Bon's late 19th-century definition of a crowd as losing rational control.

• Key characteristics of mass behavior include loss of individual rationality, emotional contagion, imitation among members, feelings of omnipotence, and anonymity—factors that contribute to collective decision-making processes.

• In "The Wave," students lose their rational control and become swept up in emotional fervor leading them toward violent suggestions against Marko until their leader intervenes to restore awareness.

• Despite being written long ago, Le Bon's insights into mass psychology remain relevant today; however, his work has been criticized for its right-wing bias against lower social classes.

• Le Bon’s text instills fear about societal regression into barbarism while discriminating against youth and working-class movements as threats to civilization.

Characteristics of Collective Groups

• Dr. Pablo Fernández Christlieb expands on Le Bon’s ideas by identifying three main characteristics of collective masses: irreducibility (predictable emergence), supra-individuality (loss of personal identity), and affectivity (irrational governance).

• Irreducibility refers to how crowds form suddenly with a shared psychological state; supra-individuality highlights how individuals may engage in actions they wouldn't consider alone due to the group's influence.

• Affectivity explains how emotions drive collective behavior beyond logical reasoning; this emotional dimension transcends time-space constraints affecting decision-making within groups.

Engaging the Collective Unconscious

• A significant aspect discussed is addressing the collective unconscious—a deep-seated part of human evolution influencing current behaviors.

• To effectively communicate with this unconscious layer requires using universal symbols or archetypes that resonate deeply within human experience across generations.

The Role of Collective and Ethnic Unconscious in Human Behavior

The Influence of the Collective Unconscious

• Professor Rainer effectively commands a group, demonstrating how their conscious minds are influenced by simple, universal ideas such as allies vs. enemies and life vs. death.

• The discussion introduces the concept of the "ethnic unconscious," proposed by Gyorgy Robot, which complements Carl Jung's idea of the collective unconscious.

Understanding Ethnic Unconscious

• George Severo elaborates on a mental configuration termed "ethnic unconscious," where cultural memories and motivations reside, distinct from Freud's individual unconscious.

• Rainer’s demagogic speech aims to tap into this ethnic unconscious by addressing Germany's historical struggles, including poverty and humiliation post World War I.

Historical Context and Demagoguery

• A parallel is drawn between Rainer’s rhetoric and Hitler’s approach to rallying a humiliated Germany after World War I, appealing to national pride rooted in historical identity.

• Abraham Maslow's concept of "basic personality" suggests that shared traits among cultural groups stem from this ethnic unconscious, influencing perceptions about different nationalities.

Reflections on War and Human Nature

• Freud’s pessimistic view on war is highlighted through his correspondence with Einstein, suggesting an inherent human drive towards destruction (Thanatos).

• Freud theorizes that this destructive impulse manifests in societal conflicts like war as a means to release pent-up aggression within organic matter.