There are many vague definitions of the term ‘a crowd’ one of which is defined as by the Oxford Dictionary as “a large number of people gathered together, usually without orderly arrangement” and Le Bon (2006:15) defines a crowd as “a gathering of individuals of whatever nationality, profession or sex and whatever be chances that have brought them together”.

Crowding can have a wide range of negative behaviour and negative human effects. For example, crowding in prisons has been accompanied by negative psychological reactions and increased disciplinary problems, assaults, illness complaints, deaths, and suicides. Because of this, prison wardens are affected by it as much as the prisoners themselves because they are exposed to the behaviour prisoners may have. Merely being crowded in any setting can have negative effects. In the classroom, the larger the number of students, the more the strain, anxiety, and frustration it creates.
When there is less crowding in the schools, at home, or at any other social setting, there is a reduction of psychological stress and problems are reduced. In other words, the reductions of crowding have positive effects. The larger the crowd is in public settings, the more negative effects there are for groups and individuals. The effects may cause groups or individuals to lose their sanity or take part in activities they normally would not be drawn to doing. Being in a crowd sometimes can mean that you lose your individuality as you are merely blending in with those around you and are not known as a separate individual but rather, the ‘crowd’. I feel this can have a very negative effect on your identity as a person as you would feel invisible rather than someone who is able to stand out and you would feel like a follower rather than a leader too.
However crowds can have positive effects as well, as it’s said that a crowds actions are determined by collective understandings, norms and values. As a consequence, crowd events always have a pattern that reveals how people see their position in society and their sense of right and wrong. You could have the feeling of belonging in a crowd and not feel like an outsider and alone. Crowds can also empower individuals and make them feel like they are capable of more than they could do alone and therefore the individuals enjoy the feeling of being in a crowd. Crowds don’t isolate people they rather include and involve those who wish to join them. I would enjoy being in a crowd as there is less of feeling isolated and more of a feeling of belonging, as a crowd you would take the blame together and work together, not have one person to bear all the punishment and feel alone. Being in a crowd allows you to express and take action in what you believe in with those who share the same view; something you perhaps wouldn’t have the courage to do alone.