The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements by Eric Hoffer

Eric Hoffer, an American Social Philosopher, offers insights into the psychology of mass movements in his book The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements. Through the exploration of various organizational philosophies, he offers an analysis of why large-scale social movements are able to captivate and sometimes control massive audiences.

Through these investigations, Hoffer contends that most popular mass movements have qualities in common, though the aims for each may differ. Hoffer identifies three major elements that make up the glue that binds people together in a mass movement. Firstly, Hoffer identifies a sense of frustration as a needed component of any successful mass movement. This frustration is understood by Hoffer to stem from a lack of satisfaction or recognition in their current lives. People may turn to a mass movement out of a sense of discontent at their inability to achieve their goals under existing circumstances. A second component of a successful mass movement according to Hoffer is a sense of assurance or hope that something different can be achieved — one which will bring greater satisfaction, recognition, and freedom. Hoffer postulates that any leader of a mass movement will be able to find an audience by offering this kind of hope or assurance.

The third component of a successful group that Hoffer identifies as essential to any mass movement is a kind of shared belief or ideology. This ideology is often so concretely framed and simplified that it may be described as “black-and-white” thinking; the kind of approach that pits classes of people in favor of simple labels such as “elites” and “outsiders”. Once this sort of framework has been established, Hoffer argues that people are able to imagine themselves as part of a larger movement in pursuit of something greater than their current lives. According to Hoffer, these three elements of a mass movement allow people to rise above their individual anxieties and experience a sense of solidarity within a larger group.

Hoffer further expands his argument by looking into the psychology of the individual adherent within a mass movement. He states that finding one’s place in a movement can provide a sense of purpose, identity and self-worth for individuals. Furthermore, Hoffer claims that in order for a mass movement to be successful, the individual adherent must not just believe in the movement’s goals but also in the greatness of the movement itself. It is only when the movement itself is held in heroic regard by its members that true commitment to the cause will manifest in its adherents.

Hoffer’s book The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements is a valuable and enlightening look into the psychology and motivations of mass movements. Through keen observation of the various organizations around him, Hoffer develops an outline of how successful mass organizations reach out to convert disgruntled and disgruntled individuals into devoted adherents. Crucially, Hoffer identifies a sense of frustration, assurance, and a shared, simplistic ideology as necessary components of any successful group, and argues that the individual believer must not only believe in the goals of the movement but must also hold the movement itself in heroic regard. Moreover, Hoffer argues, it is only when these potently emotive ideals are honored that true commitment to the cause can be found within a mass movement, providing an invaluable insight for any student of social movements.