Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 9.djvu/386

 372 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

and reactions are set up which presently bring them to a state of mind marked by high suggestibility, emotional tension, great credulity, and confused thinking. The group-unit reflects, not the normal self of its members, but this pseudo-personality this mob mood induced by the way persons affect one another in the throng. The traits of a collectivity, therefore, depend in part upon the Manner of Interaction of its members.

Again, the manner of constituting the group-unit may give leverage to the wise or give it to the rash, favor the man of words or exalt the man of ideas, put the helm into the hands of the worthy or leave it to be grasped by the first-comer. The character exhibited by an aggregate of men depends, therefore, in some degree on their Mode of Combination.

EDWARD ALSWORTH Ross. THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA.