Chapter II: Preface

PART I. GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF COLLECTIVE PSYCHOLOGY PAGES CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION. THE PROVINCE OF COLLECTIVE PSYCHOLOGY

The need for a more concrete psychology—the conception of the
group mind—objections to the conception examined—the conception
not a new one but familiar in political philosophy and law—the
essential problem 1-20

CHAPTER II. THE MENTAL LIFE OF THE CROWD

The crowd presents the phenomena of collective life in crude
and simple forms—the formation of the psychological crowd—its
peculiarities—spread and intensification of emotions—how that
takes place—the notion of ‘collective consciousness’
provisionally rejected—the submergence of personality in the
crowd—the low intelligence of crowds—suggestibility—lack of
individual responsibility 21-47

CHAPTER III. THE HIGHLY ORGANISED GROUP

The principal conditions of organisation—the army as the
type—how its organisation raises the soldier to a higher plane
of collective life—the nature of collective will
illustrated—influence of leaders 48-61

CHAPTER IV. THE GROUP SPIRIT

The self-consciousness of the group—the group idea and the
group sentiment—the group consciousness in primitive
life—views of Cornford and Lévy Bruhl examined—‘collective
representations’—the peculiar merit of the group
spirit—multiple group consciousness—the hierarchy of
groups—interaction of groups 62-87

CHAPTER V. PECULIARITIES OF GROUPS OF VARIOUS TYPES

Rudimentary groups—natural and artificial groups—purposive,
traditional and mixed groups 88-95

PART II. THE NATIONAL MIND AND CHARACTER

CHAPTER VI. WHAT IS A NATION?

Difficulty of defining nationhood—Prof. Ramsay Muir’s
definition not adequate—mental organisation, resting on
tradition, the most essential condition—lack of clear
conceptions has given currency to many obscure notions—the
study of nationhood essentially the work of group psychology 96-105

CHAPTER VII. THE MIND OF A NATION

National character defined—conditions essential to its
formation—homogeneity a prime condition—the influence of
racial qualities on national character—the durability of
racial qualities—acquired mental homogeneity as illustrated by
the American nation—the influence upon it of geographical
conditions 106-130

CHAPTER VIII. FREEDOM OF COMMUNICATION AS A CONDITION OF NATIONAL LIFE

Large nations impossible in the ancient world—the tendency of
nations to grow larger with increase of means of communication 131-134

CHAPTER IX. THE PART OF LEADERS IN NATIONAL LIFE

Nations owe their existence to influence of leaders—men of
genius—men of talent—their _rôle_ in national life 135-141

CHAPTER X. OTHER CONDITIONS OF NATIONAL LIFE

A common purpose—war the unifier—national
responsibilities—continuity of national life—organisation of
the national mind analogous to that of the individual
mind—national self-consciousness—types of organisation 142-154

CHAPTER XI. THE WILL OF THE NATION

Rousseau’s doctrine of the general will—Prof. Bosanquet’s view
inadequate—the national mind has both organic unity and the
unity of self-consciousness—increase of national
self-consciousness the leading fact of recent world
history—self-consciousness of nations developed by rivalry and
intercourse between them 155-168

CHAPTER XII. IDEAS IN NATIONAL LIFE

The idea of the nation is constitutive—ideas work as forces in
national life only in virtue of sentiments grown up about
their objects—the notions of society as an organism and as
founded on contract synthesised in the conception of the
nation as a contractual organism—the value of nationality
examined—ideas of conquest—of ancestor worship—of liberty and
equality—of progress—of solidarity 169-186

CHAPTER XIII. NATIONS OF THE HIGHER TYPE

National deliberation—the influence on it of organisation
and of traditions—certain advantages of the representative
system—public opinion arises from an informal organisation—the
problem of the high level of public opinion—its solution
to be found in the influence of leaders 187-199

PART III. THE DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONAL MIND AND CHARACTER

CHAPTER XIV. FACTORS OF NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Civilisation does not imply improvement of racial qualities—it
abolishes selection by the physical environment—it consists
in improved intellectual and moral traditions and is dependent
on favourable social organisation 200-207

CHAPTER XV. THE RACE-MAKING PERIOD

Differentiation of races from a common stock—human evolution
differs from that of the animals in becoming group
evolution—physical environment supplanted by social environment
and organisation—the direct effects of climate
on the body—on the mind 208-219

CHAPTER XVI. THE RACE-MAKING PERIOD (_continued_)

Physical environment determines racial adaptation directly
by selection—indirectly by determining occupations and
social organisation—the protective spirit in France—the
spirit of independence in England—attempts of Buckle,
Boutmy and Sir H. Maine to account for these not successful 220-232

CHAPTER XVII. THE RACE-MAKING PERIOD (_continued_)

The influence of occupations—the leading principle of the
school of Le Play—the development of the spirit of protection
in the people of Gaul—the development of the spirit of
independence in the ancestors of the English—the crossing of
races—its bad and its good results 233-245

CHAPTER XVIII. RACIAL CHANGES DURING THE HISTORIC PERIOD

Race substitution—the population of Greece—internal
selection—its effects in Spain—various forms of social
selection—mostly negative or injurious to national
stock—economic selection and the social ladder—the innate
moral disposition—the question of its improvement 246-269

CHAPTER XIX. THE PROGRESS OF NATIONS IN THEIR YOUTH

The rarity of progress—the conditions enabling progress—group
selection—in what has progress consisted?—views of Buckle and
Kidd—conquest and domination an early condition of
progress—variability of crossed races—influence of physical
environment—western civilisation and social organisation 270-286

CHAPTER XX. THE PROGRESS OF NATIONS IN THEIR MATURITY

Liberty and social organisation—caste makes for rigidity—the
growth of toleration—imaginative sympathy increases with
increasing freedom of intercourse, bringing strife and
understanding—the group spirit as the main agent of further
progress 287-301

INDEX 302-304