There are a number of papers and books on the subject of these three ideas, and even some on the lemming phenomenon. Many are quite technical while some are brief and give only a few examples. A thorough web search will find most of those of interest.
One of the best, however, is a very old book that was first published in 1841 but is still popular today. Its title is a mouthful: Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds by Charles MacKay. It is a big book, weighing in at some 700 pages; but it is a captivating and often amusing discussion of many of the herd mentality foibles of the eleventh through nineteenth centuries The various schemes that brought people to follow the herd are numerous and we won’t go into detail here. There are discussions of tulip mania in which prices for tulips were run up, by lemming-like behavior, to astronomical levels; the Mississippi Scheme (a huge Ponzi scheme that even beguiled the king of France); and similar frauds and irrational behavior. But two of the worst of the lot are the witch mania and the Crusades—herd behavior at its most pernicious.
At sixteen dollars, the book is worth the price in education and entertainment. Be aware that many of the Amazon versions are highly abridged. Be sure to get the 700 (or so) page copy, not those of around 200 pages.
Another very interesting book on mass movements, and closely related to the lemming phenomenon because of the potential negative result of such movements, is Eric Hoffer's little book entitled The True Believer. Although published more than 50 years ago, it is still an excellent and very timely account of the nature of mass movements. It is especially relevant with respect to the escape from reality that accompanies these movements.
