The Cause Of Mass Hysteria In The United States

Mass hysteria has plagued society for centuries, whether through religious, cultural or medical reasoning. Even society today goes through phases of fear of the unknown. Throughout history, mass hysteria has taken root at specific points in civilization and is usually caused by a tragedy or some form of cultural acceptance. Usually this fear is mandated by the leader of a particular group, and the majority of the group volunteers to isolate the minorities of the group. This is used in order to make themselves believe that they have solved the issue, while in reality all they’ve done is found a scapegoat. Today, the form of mass hysteria that is most prevalent takes form in our country’s fear of Islamics. This fear Americans have created stems

A common type of mass hysteria occurs when people believe they are suffering from the same disease as others, which can be called a mass psychological illness. The term mass hysteria can also be used to describe a spontaneous manifestation of the same or closely similar symptoms by more than one person. (Hunter) These types of situations will begin with a key event that sets off other events and/or people to act in a similar way or be more aware of the symptoms

The Salem Witch Trials are one of the most well-known examples of mass hysteria. (Lusted). What led to the 20 deaths as a result of Salem was the strain on the community beforehand. What is known as an Atmosphere of Intolerance (Lusted), The strict Puritan belief that was the religion of Salem at the time period on top of other stressful events such as coexisting with Native Americans leads to a very stressful and paranoid environment. The play The Crucible, by Arthur Miller explains thoroughly a sample case from that time period. It explains how the community in Salem went from a peaceful town to a place of execution of innocents (Miller). Miller’s depiction of how the “witches” were chosen was a direct comparison to the blacklisting done by Sen. McCarthy around that time. Miller was one of those that were blacklisted. Miller did not protest McCarthy’s policy directly because he was fearful of being known as a Communist, which would put him out of business and potentially give him jail