《乌合之众·第一编·群体的心理·群体的一般特征·心理统一律》第3节
It is not easy to describe the mind of crowds with exactness, because its organisation varies not only according to race and composition, but also according to the nature and intensity of the exciting causes to which crowds are subjected. The same difficulty, however, presents itself in the psychological study of an individual. It is only in novels that individuals are found to traverse their whole life with an unvarying character. It is only the uniformity of the environment that creates the apparent uniformity of characters. I have shown elsewhere that all mental constitutions contain possibilities of character which may be manifested in consequence of a sudden change of environment. This explains how it was that among the most savage members of the French Convention were to be found inoffensive citizens who, under ordinary circumstances, would have been peaceable notaries or virtuous magistrates. The storm past, they resumed their normal character of quiet, law-abiding citizens. Napoleon found amongst them his most docile servants. It being impossible to study here all the successive degrees of organisation of crowds, we shall concern ourselves more especially with such crowds as have attained to the phase of complete organisation. In this way we shall see what crowds may become, but not what they invariably are. It is only in this advanced phase of organisation that certain new and special characteristics are superposed on the unvarying and dominant character of the race; then takes place that turning already alluded to of all the feelings and thoughts of the collectivity in an identical direction. It is only under such circumstances, too, that what I have called above the PSYCHOLOGICAL LAW OF THE MENTAL UNITY OF CROWDS comes into play.
注释摘要
勒庞在这一段里试图解释，为什么不能简单地把群体的心理说成是某种固定不变的东西。他的论证沿着两条线展开：一是群体组织程度的比较，二是个人与环境的类比。在他看来，群体的心理组织不仅因民族气质和成员构成而异，更取决于当时所受到的刺激的性质和强度。这就像在个体心理学中，一个人的性格并非终生不变，只有小说里才存在始终如一的人物，而现实中所谓稳定的性格，不过是环境长期…