The upcoming discussion will update you about the difference between group and crowd.
1. A group is more or less permanent while a crowd is very short lived or transitory in nature.
2. A group can any time turn to a crowd and a crowd can also any time turn to a group.
3. In a crowd, there is emotional excitement of a strong nature which is absent in a group.
4. Drives of more primitive types are found in a crowd where one looses its rational behaviour and becomes animalistic, irrational, antisocial being guided by the emotional aspect and excitement. Prepotent drives like fear, anger and love in their raw, naked and uncivilized form are found.
But members of a group behave in a very organized, constructive, social and civilized manner. They are less demonstrative in their behaviour and show value based activities.
5. There is more face to face and shoulder to shoulder contact, more forward and backward movement and physical action in an action crowd, while in a group such actions are almost absent.
6. The response in a crowd is very simple showing the operation of prepotent drives while in a group it is very complex, socialized and civilized.
7. While in a group there is more psychological and social interaction in a crowd there is more physical interaction.
8. Sense of facilitation, imitation and irresponsibility etc. are more observed in a crowd than in a group.
9. In the crowd situation, all the psychological functions of the individual like perception, learning, motivation, emotion, thinking and reasoning are affected to a greater or lesser degree while in a group situation, psychological functioning of the group member is normal and emotional behaviour is balanced.
10. A group is more organized while a crowd is more disorganized.
11. In a crowd the basic drives are expressed in a raw and unmodified, unchannelized manner and there is regression to the primitive type of man.
12. In a group, on the contrary, drives are expressed in a polished, socialized, modified and socially acceptable manner.
13. In a crowd, the primitive drives like sex, hunger and protection control the individual’s behaviour while in a group, common motivation, sense of loyality, belongingness, unity and solidarity control the behaviour. The motives are expressed in a very subdued and polished manner. The behaviour is more socialized in a group situation.
Inspite of the differences between a group and a crowd stated above, groups and crowds have some common factors . To add to this a group can turn to a crowd at any moment and a crowd can also turn to a group.