Statement of Intent The following briefing contains information on the 'protest control strategy' for the City of London Police. The strategy is being developed in collaboration with the Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience at Kings College London. Situation The situation is that of a gathering of demonstrators in front of the house of a controversial politician. The gathering of demonstrators can degenerate into a riot (Potegal & Knutson, 2013). It is recommended to understand the mechanisms behind a potential escalation and be informed of appropriate crowd control and negotiation techniques to prevent or de-escalate the situation. How Groups Form There are five stages of small group development (Tuckman & Jensen, 1977) Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Training individuals avoid controversy or conflict and accept each other and priorities are established. Protesters can agree on common issues regarding the politician. Little is done during this stage other than orientation, organization, and information gathering. Storming The group begins to address the agreed issues and group members begin to question the role of the work being done by the group, but also the roles and responsibilities within the group. . Suppression of conflict may occur due to a common goal, but protesters may begin to make themselves heard. Responsibilities and roles are established and the conflict has been resolved. Protesters begin to feel like they are members of a cohesive and effective group, and a shared sense of purpose and identity emerges. Group mentality and de-individualization of demonstrators may occur. Execution Everyone in the group knows and trusts each other, and the protesters have reached a state of interdependence and flexibility. Not all groups reach this stageAdjournment. The protesters have reached the completion of their common goal and are disbanding. Postponement may also occur if a protester loses interest or motivation during the initial stages. Factors Group mentality can lead individuals within a group to develop riskier and/or more violent behaviors. This is the way of thinking that groups engage in when cohesion seems more important than creating behaviors. make the right decision and consider alternatives (Le Bon, 1926). This can occur if the individual experiences deindividualization, meaning the individual loses their ability to self-evaluate within a group, as well as their sense of self-awareness. and accountability within a group setting such as the current protest. Deindividualization frequently occurs at lower and higher scales due to the feeling of anonymity and invincibility due to the anonymity offered by the group. Deindividualization does not in itself cause bad behaviors, but rather paves the way for them to occur. This perceived anonymity can cause people to act in ways they would not otherwise have done (Festinger, Pepitone, & Newcomb, 1952). Group norms are the norms that dictate the unspoken rules of a group (Hogg and Reid, 2006). In other words, group norms establish new rules regarding social behavior. Although group norms are not explicit rules, the general public follows these norms either unconsciously or consciously. Group mentality and de-individualization of individuals within a manifestation can. 2003).