Topic: Loneliness

The psychological preconditions for mass formation include widespread social isolation, a lack of meaning-making, and "free-floating" anxiety. Desmet explains that when a narrative provides an object for this anxiety—such as a virus or a political group—the masses connect to it to regain a sense of control. This process creates a new, artificial social bond that is intolerant of "dissonant voices" and leads to the dehumanization of a common scapegoat.