Public Figure Profiles

Gustave Le Bon

Charles-Marie Gustave Le Bon (7 May 1841 – 13 December 1931) was a leading French polymath whose areas of interest included anthropology, psychology, sociology, medicine, invention, and physics. He is best known for his 1895 work The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind, which is considered one of the seminal works of crowd psychology.A native of Nogent-le-Rotrou, Le Bon qualified as a doctor of medicine at the University of Paris in 1866. He opted against the formal practice of medicine as a physician, instead beginning his writing career the same year of his graduation. He published a number of medical articles and books before joining the French Army after the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War. Defeat in the war coupled with being a first-hand witness to the Paris Commune of 1871 strongly shaped Le Bon's worldview. He then travelled widely, touring Europe, Asia and North Africa. He analysed the peoples and the civilisations he encountered under the umbrella of the nascent field of anthropology, developing an essentialist view of humanity, and invented a portable cephalometer during his travels.

In the 1890s, he turned to psychology and sociology, in which fields he released his most successful works. Le Bon developed the view that crowds are not the sum of their individual parts, proposing that within crowds there forms a new psychological entity, the characteristics of which are determined by the "racial unconscious" of the crowd. At the same time he created his psychological and sociological theories, he performed experiments in physics and published popular books on the subject, anticipating the mass–energy equivalence and prophesising the Atomic Age. Le Bon maintained his eclectic interests up until his death in 1931.

Ignored or maligned by sections of the French academic and scientific establishment during his life due to his politically conservative and reactionary views, Le Bon was critical of democracy and socialism. Le Bon's works were influential to such disparate figures as Theodore Roosevelt and Benito Mussolini, Sigmund Freud and José Ortega y Gasset, Adolf Hitler and Vladimir Lenin.

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Some of their strengths

Gustave Le Bon has many admirable traits.

Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Artistic, Adventurous, Creative, Trustworthy, Perseverent, Independent, and Imaginative.

Strong and Diligent

According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, Gustave Le Bon is someone who is a strong, diligent, and trustworthy person who approaches life with honesty and perseverance, but who is also physical, sensual, and artistic. A person who is a bit of a "lone wolf".

Warm and Caring

Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know Gustave Le Bon well know them as someone who can be warm, caring, and compassionate, like a lamp or torch.

Productive and Perseverent

According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe Gustave Le Bon as someone who is productive, persevering, deliberate, and direct.

A person who is creative, has good luck with work and money, good listening skills, good relationships with people at work, is a good teacher or counselor, and who is good at organizing groups, teams, or causes.

Perceptive and Visionary

Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, Gustave Le Bon is someone who has a natural awareness about what is going on in the surrounding environment and the world at large, and a refined vision of how to navigate it.

They are also someone who is curious, dynamic, and positive, and who enjoys inspiring and communicating with other people.

Patient and Compassionate

According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, Gustave Le Bon tends to be someone who approaches life with grace and compassion, and who has a powerful and commanding personality. Who can be analytical, patient, and deliberate, avoiding risks and seeking out stability instead.

Some of Gustave Le Bon's challenges

While Gustave Le Bon has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.

For example, Gustave Le Bon can be Stubborn, Idle, Impulsive, Careless, Hypocritical, Self-centered, and Possessive.

Stubborn and Idle

One of Gustave Le Bon's key challenges is that they are someone who can be seen as stubborn and, at times, lazy.

Possessive and Stubborn

Gustave Le Bon is someone who can be possessive, jealous, inflexible, and stubborn, can have a habit of being a frivolous spender, and who can feel insecure or cynical in romantic relationships and have difficulty forming productive personal and professional partnerships.

Materialistic and Aggressive

Finally, Gustave Le Bon also can be materialistic, emotional, aggressive, stubborn, inconsistent, and be prone to big temper outbursts.

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