Population Size, Structural Differentiation, and Human Behavior
- 1 June 1978
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Environment and Behavior
- Vol. 10 (2) , 271-291
- https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916578102007
Abstract
This article reviews evidence which indicates that the sheer size of an urban center has important social and psychological consequences. The size of an urban milieu tends to be associated with the degree of social role differentiation present in the milieu, with larger cities manifesting more structural differentiation. Available literature suggests the size combined with structural differentiation is related to psychological and behavioral variables such as anonymity, deindividuation, deviance, personality development, and competitive-cooperative social interaction strategies.Keywords
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