‘I Get High With a Little Help From My Friends’ - How Raves Can Invoke Identity Fusion and Lasting Co-operation via Transformative Experiences
Frontiers in Psychology September 24, 2021 Martha Newson, Ragini Khurana, Freya Cazorla et al. 48 citations
Engaging in the '4Ds'—dance, drums, sleep deprivation, and drugs—at raves and illegal free parties is associated with personal transformation when the experience is awe-inspiring, particularly for people with open personalities. Without awe or a ritual context, the 4Ds are linked to a lack of personal growth or anomie. A structural equation model showed that personal transformation following awe-inspiring raves was associated with bonding to other ravers and prosocial behavior toward that group at a cost to self, but not with bonding to humanity. The findings suggest that the 4Ds in a ritualized environment can help build meaningful social bonds with positive behavioral outcomes.