MOB PSYCHOLOGY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 3758, 23 February 1928, Page 2

MOB PSYCHOLOGY.

WORKERS AT IMLAY. To talk to one man is. a very different matter from talking to a crowd of men. This simple fact is one which never loses interest in the minds of people who study mob psychology. In fact, a. mob' of sheep is not vastly different in general temperament from a group of workers. It is a case of “follow the leader.”

Workers at linlay Freezing Works appear to be due to reach fame as an excellent example of this “follow the leader” principle. When Mr H. E. Ziesles, works manager, told of petty grievances, “go slow” tactics and almost childish disputes in which the men were central figures this week, to the Wanganui Farmers’ Union, he put down the trouble to one or two “pin-prick-ers.” Indeed, several of this undesirable fraternity had been noted. Members at the meeting expressed surprise that the workers should be led into trouble by one or two dissenters. “I can’t understand why they do it, for the life of me,” declared one member almost despa iringty. Go for the student of psychology who would fathom the cumulative bdt eccentric mind of the linlay workers there is an interesting problem. Stern measures seem to be the most effective in bringing about, stability.—Chronicle.