Gustav Lebon, whose books are still of great interest to psychologists, sociologists, historians and others, is considered the creator of social psychology. It was he who was able to accurately describe the behavior of the crowd and the reasons for the blind submission of the masses to dictators. Despite the fact that he wrote most of the works back in the 19th century, the 20th century was impressed by the results of his research. The most important direction in which Gustav Lebon worked is psychology.
Education
Gustav Lebon was born in the city of Nogent-le-Rotrou, in France, in a noble family. Despite the loud title, the Lebon family lived very modestly, without luxury.
After graduating from the classical school, Gustav entered the university in Paris at the medical faculty. His further education was associated with frequent movement between European, Asian and African educational institutions. Already while studying at the university, Lebon began to publish his articles, which were positively perceived by readers and aroused interest in the scientific community.
Contribution to the development of medicine
Lebon has never been involved in medical practice, although his contribution to the development of medicine is rated very highly, but he was carried out mainly through scientific publications. For example, according to the results of his research work, in the 60s of the nineteenth century, he wrote an article about diseases that occur in people living in wet areas.
Hobbies and first attempts to understand the causes of this or that behavior of people in various situations
In addition to medicine, Lebon was pleased to study anthropology, archeology and sociology. For some time he worked as a military doctor at the front. The goal was to be able to observe and explore how people behave in critical conditions. In the early 1870s, interest in psychology aroused in him, which determined the further direction of his activity.
The most important works
The main theme that Gustav Lebon adhered to in his works was the philosophy of the crowd, its characteristics and motives. The most important and most popular work of Gustav Lebon was the book “Psychology of Peoples and Masses”.
Staying at the front and observing a large number of people provided the necessary basis for conclusions, and on the pages of this publication he managed to talk about how the motives of this or that human behavior are determined, and on the basis of these data he tried to explain the reasons for a number of historical events. Subsequently, the Psychology of the Crowd was also written, which won no less recognition, and then the Psychology of Socialism.
Influence on the course of history
Carrying out all these studies and clearly formulating conclusion after conclusion on the pages of his books, Lebon did not suspect that his works would form the basis for the formation of the theory of leadership of the Nazis. However, sadly, the Psychology of the Crowd became a kind of teaching tool for Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.
Gustav Lebon, of course, did not expect that he would have such a significant impact on the course of history. Many of his conclusions were confirmed very accurately, because the above dictators have largely achieved their goals.
Unconscious instincts at the head of the crowd
Being actually the father of social psychology, Lebon first made an attempt to explain the onset of the period in the existence of mankind, when it was the masses that became especially important. He believed that being in a crowd leads to the fact that a person has reduced intellectual abilities, a sense of responsibility and criticality in relation to the situation. Instead, the reins of power take unconscious instincts, which determine the complex, but sometimes primitive behavior of large masses of people.
Lebon believed that the least governed were the peoples of the countries in which the largest number of mestizos was concentrated. Such states need a very strong ruler, otherwise unrest and anarchy cannot be avoided.
Interesting conclusions were made about how mass religions were instilled. According to Lebon, when this or that religion was implanted, people accepted it, but not completely, but only adding it to their old faith, that is, essentially changing the name and content, adapting the innovation to the usual religion. So, those religions that “descended” to the masses underwent many changes in the process of adaptation among the people of one or another people.
Gustav Lebon: crowd and leader
A person who is among many others like him, as if descending the ladder of his development, easily abandons his principles, the conclusions that usually move him when he is outside the crowd. He is prone to violence, excessive activity, which manifests itself as a predisposition to arbitrariness and aggression, and in the manifestation of an unprecedented enthusiasm in achieving their goals. Often an individual in a crowd goes against his own interests and beliefs.
In working with the crowd, it is most effective to use simple and clear images that do not carry anything superfluous. Unless they can be supported by some unusual, striking fact, for example, something from the category of miraculous or phenomenal.
According to the theory of Lebon, leaders rarely belong to the number of people who think, think. Most often they are more likely than others to act. It is extremely rare that they see the depth of the problem, because this weakens the will of the leader, leads to doubt and slowness. The leader is often unbalanced and impressive, almost crazy. His idea, guidelines can be ridiculous, insane, but it is difficult to stop on the way to achieving the goal. A negative attitude inspires him, the torment experienced is what brings true satisfaction to the real leader. Their faith in their own ideas, their point of view is so firm and unshakable that the force with which they influence the minds of others increases a hundredfold. Masses of people tend to listen to just such a person who manages to maintain his will, strength and desire. People who find themselves in the crowd most often do not possess them, so they unknowingly reach out to a stronger and strong-willed person.
Leaders, according to the theory of Lebon, are categorical and decisive in the manifestation of power. Thanks to this decisiveness, as well as a comprehensive uncompromising attitude, they manage to force even the most obstinate and rebellious people to fulfill their will, even if this is contrary to the true interests of man. The leaders make changes to the existing order of affairs, force the majority to agree with their decisions and obey them.
Whatever the crowd is, it seeks to be subordinate. The manifestation of power is alien to her, she is too weak for this, which is why she completely submits to the determined leader, rejoicing at the opportunity to be in the position of obedience.
Education and erudition rarely keep up with the qualities of a real leader, but if they are, then most likely they will bring misfortune to their owner. Being smart, a person inevitably becomes softer, because he has the opportunity to look deep into the situation, understand one side or another of his subordinate people and unwittingly loosen his grip, shake his power. That is why most of the leaders at all times, as Gustav Lebon believed, were very narrow-minded people, moreover, the more limited the person was, the greater was his influence on the crowd.
That was the point of view of Gustav Lebon. It was these thoughts that formed the basis of two fundamental books that became textbooks for the most brutal dictators of the twentieth century. Of course, the scientist himself did not assume that his works would have such admirers and followers.
Gustav Lebon died at the age of 90 in 1931, in his house in the vicinity of Paris.