Clifford John Thornton Stott (born July 1965) is professor of

social psychology Social psychology is the scientific study of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the real or imagined presence of other people or by social norms. Social psychologists typically explain human behavior as a result of the r ...

Keele University Keele University, officially known as the University of Keele, is a public research university in Keele, approximately from Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as the University College of North Staffordshire, Keele ...

. He is a specialist in the psychology of crowds,

group identity Collective identity is the shared sense of belonging to a group. In sociology In 1989, Alberto Melucci published ''Nomads of the Present'', which introduces his model of collective identity based on studies of the social movements of the 1980s ...

, and

football hooliganism Football hooliganism, also known as soccer hooliganism, football rioting or soccer rioting, constitutes violence and other destructive behaviours perpetrated by spectators at association football events. Football hooliganism normally involves ...

Research

His initial research interest was in political dissent and this led to research into how peaceful protests change to become violent through observing the psychology of crowds. His work indicated that, rather than riots being driven by hooligans who are predisposed to violence (the 'mindless mob' perspective developed at the end of the nineteenth century), they are structured and led by beliefs. The majority of the crowd consider that they are peaceful protestors with a right to express their views. If disorder or confrontation starts, and the police act against it, the crowd experiences what they consider is illegitimate police use of force. This changes their behaviour so that they resist the police. His research has led to changes in policing by some authorities with the aim of reducing violent confrontations. He studied the London Poll Tax riots and Italian World cup in 1990, riots in the UK in 2011 and in Hong Kong in 2019, using social media and mapping to follow their trajectory. Using ideas gained from his research, he advised a region of

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

on policing football matches. The success of this approach led to its introduction across Portugal, and was subsequently adopted by

UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...

across Europe. It has resulted in decreased violence. He is co-chair of the Security and Policing group and a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Behaviours (SPI-B) advising the

Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) is a British Government body that advises central government in emergencies. It is usually chaired by the United Kingdom's Chief Scientific Adviser, currently Sir Patrick Vallance. Specialis ...

of the UK government during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.

Education and personal life

Stott left school at 16 without qualifications, but after a few years, through part-time study at further education college, he gained qualifications for entry to university. He was able to study psychology at the college, a topic he wanted to study. He studied B. Sc. (HONS) psychology at Plymouth Polytechnic (now

University of Plymouth The University of Plymouth is a public research university based predominantly in Plymouth, England, where the main campus is located, but the university has campuses and affiliated colleges across South West England. With students, it is the ...

) and then a Ph. D. at

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

University, supervised by

Steve Reicher Stephen David Reicher is Bishop Wardlaw Professor of Social Psychology at the University of St Andrews. His research is in the area of social psychology, focusing on social identity, collective behaviour, Group conflict, intergroup conflict, ...

and funded by the

ESRC The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), formerly the Social Science Research Council (SSRC), is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). UKRI is a non-departmental public body (NDPB) funded by the UK government. ESRC provides fundi ...

Honours and awards

Stott was the guest on the

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

programme ''The Life Scientific'' in June 2020. He was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE) in the

2021 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours for 2021 are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded ...

for services to

crowd psychology Crowd psychology, also known as mob psychology, is a branch of social psychology. Social psychologists have developed several theories for explaining the ways in which the psychology of a crowd differs from and interacts with that of the individ ...

and the Covid-19 pandemic response.

Selected publications

*''Football 'Hooliganism', Policing and the War on the 'English Disease' ''. Pennant Books, London, 2007. (With Geoff Pearson)

References

External links

*https://www.theguardian.com/profile/clifford-stott Social psychologists Football hooliganism in the United Kingdom Academics of Keele University Academics of the University of Leeds Alumni of the University of Exeter Alumni of the University of Plymouth Living people 1965 births Members of the Order of the British Empire {{UK-psychologist-stub