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Article: Le Bon, Gustave (1841-1931)
- Article from:
- International Dictionary of Psychoanalysis
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LE BON, GUSTAVE (1841-1931)
Gustave Le Bon, a French physician and philosopher, was born in 1841 in Nogent-le-Rotrou and died on December 24, 1931, in Paris. Le Bon's name has for years been associated with
The Crowd
(1895/1995), which made him one of the founders of group psychology. In spite of, or perhaps because of, the book's phenomenal success
—
it has been translated into several languages and was reprinted many times
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Le Bon has been disparaged and misunderstood by the scientific community. He has been reproached for the summary, polemical, even reactionary nature of his analysis. A prophet and harsh critic of mass society, he ushered in the "age of the crowd," "the ...