lynching

n. an instance of a group or mob of vigilantes killing a person, especially by hanging. The lynch mob often justifies its actions by claiming that the victim is guilty of some crime and the group is administering an appropriate punishment. Most lynchings in the United States were racially motivated acts of violence perpetrated by White Americans against African Americans. The first documented U.S. lynching occurred in 1882; by 1950, lynch mobs had killed more than 3,000 people. —lynch vb.

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Psychology term of the day

October 18th 2024

social representation

a system, model, or code for unambiguously naming and organizing values, ideas, and conduct, which enables communication and social exchange (i.e., at the levels of language and behavior) among members of a particular group or community. [term coined and theory elaborated by Romanian-born French psychologist Serge Moscovici (1925– )]