Mass Hysteri The Salem Witch Trials

From the Salem Witch Trials to today, the mystery of mass hysteria has baffled psychologist and researchers worldwide. Mass hysteria has posed a threat since young girls in Salem claimed that they were being witched, as told in the popular story, The Crucible. Over 300 years later researchers have came up with a definition for this peculiar outbreak and even have spilt the topic into two main categories. Causes of mass hysteria outbreaks are still unknown to researchers but they are using the recent cases to come up with a definite set of causes. Although the causes are still confusing researchers, the symptoms of these outbreaks are very clear once you establish that it is not a physical or mental illness. Many people believe this issue is
According to Juli Yelnick in 2013, mass hysteria is defined as an imagined or assumed threat that causes physical symptoms among a large number of people. The causes of mass hysteria outbreaks are all different but range from stress to attention, but it is proved that these cases are more common in teenage girls. The exact reason for this is still unknown, but in 2008 researcher John Waller said girls and women are more likely to succumb due to the frustrations of living in families and societies dominated by men. Psychologists have created two types of mass hysteria; motor and anxiety. Motor hysteria occurs when physical symptoms spread throughout a community rapidly with no known cause. The other type is anxiety and that occurs is anxiety hysteria and that often occurs after a tragic life event. (wiseGEEK, 2015). Mass hysteria, even though it still baffles researchers, is a topic that is becoming important in psychology classes worldwide because of its unfamiliar
Most cases begin with an environmental incident, that literally makes the people worry themselves sick. After the people see someone who is “contaminated” they will begin to think about everything they have in common with that person, whether it’s walking the same path or drinking the same water. After they find that common factor, they will begin to feel similar symptoms that will continue to be spread. (Allison Takeda, 2012). Another reason researchers believe mass hysteria outbreaks occur is for attention from family, friends, or the media. By acting out in such ways there is a lot of attention drawn to the group of infected people. (Juli Yelnick, 2013). Often police and medical professions get involved in mass hysteria cases at the beginning, but as they recognize that there is no real danger involved, they are dismissed from the case. Stressful times in a community along with stress in your personal life will also cause outbreaks of mass hysteria. Doctor McVige stated that often it is multiple stressors in someone’s life that causes the outbreaks through communities. Along with many other doctors and researchers, Doctor McVige believes that mass hysteria can be associated with a conversion disorder. (Jackson,2014). Conversion is defined as a psychological stress that gets turned into a physical symptom. (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2014). Along with