# The Crowd explained — The Crowd

> Chapter companion for The Crowd by Gustave Le Bon.

## What happens

This introductory chapter defines the psychological crowd and outlines the key characteristics that distinguish crowd behavior from individual behavior, including impulsiveness, suggestibility, exaggeration of sentiments, intolerance, and a dual morality. It argues that crowds are guided by images and imagination, and that their convictions take on a religious shape. The chapter also discusses the remote and immediate factors that shape crowd beliefs, emphasizing that institutions are effects rather than causes, and that leaders play a crucial role in activating crowds.

## Themes in this chapter

### Psychology of Crowds

The chapter establishes the foundational concept of the psychological crowd and its unique mental unity.

### Irrationality and Credulity

Crowds are described as highly suggestible, credulous, and guided by images rather than reason.

## Character check-ins

### Crowds

The central subject of the chapter, analyzed as a psychological entity with distinct traits.

### Unknown Narrator

The authorial voice presenting the study of crowd psychology.

### Napoleon

Referenced as an example of a leader who understood and manipulated crowd psychology.

### The Hero

Mentioned in the context of crowd worship and the religious shape of convictions.

## Key lines

> The Crowd A Study of the Popular Mind

This book examines the collective psychology of crowds and how it differs from individual thought.

_Opening statement establishing the book's focus._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_crowd_se/chapters/the-crowd
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_crowd_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_crowd_se/chapters