mass hysteria
Widespread irrational fear
Mass hysteria is a phenomenon where physical or emotional symptoms spread through a group without any underlying medical cause—fear, anxiety, or strange behaviors passing contagiously from person to person.
It typically occurs in enclosed communities like schools or workplaces, where stress and social suggestion amplify each other: Investigators concluded the fainting epidemic was mass hysteria.
The term also describes collective panic or irrational belief that sweeps through larger populations: The satanic ritual abuse scare of the 1980s was mass hysteria.
Involuntary mood absorption
- collective behaviorUnified group conduct patterns
- suggestionIdea proposed for consideration
- conformityAdherence to norms
- crowd psychologyStudy of group influence
herd behavior · group dynamics · conversion disorder · somatization · psychosomatic · collective delusion · social contagion · copycat behavior
Collective irrationality in groups
- groupthinkConformity-driven poor decisions
- bandwagon effectAdopting trends through imitation
- echo chamberSelf-reinforcing information environment
- rumorUnconfirmed circulating story
propaganda · social influence · media frenzy · viral spread · crowd manipulation · sensationalism · tabloid · social media
Colonial American persecution of alleged sorcerers
- moral panicIrrational collective fear wave
- McCarthyismPolitically-motivated accusation without evidence
- red scareMass anti-communist hysteria
- tulip maniaIrrational asset price craze
dancing plague · witch-hunt · scapegoating · fearmongering · urban legend · satanic panic · War of the Worlds
emotional contagion
Involuntary mood absorption
- collective behaviorUnified group conduct patterns
- suggestionIdea proposed for consideration
- conformityAdherence to norms
crowd psychology · herd behavior · group dynamics · conversion disorder · somatization · psychosomatic · collective delusion · social contagion · copycat behavior
mob mentality
Collective irrationality in groups
- groupthinkConformity-driven poor decisions
- bandwagon effectAdopting trends through imitation
- echo chamberSelf-reinforcing information environment
rumor · propaganda · social influence · media frenzy · viral spread · crowd manipulation · sensationalism · tabloid · social media · misinformation
Salem witch trials
Colonial American persecution of alleged sorcerers
- moral panicIrrational collective fear wave
- McCarthyismPolitically-motivated accusation without evidence
- red scareMass anti-communist hysteria
tulip mania · dancing plague · witch-hunt · scapegoating · fearmongering · urban legend · satanic panic · War of the Worlds
stampede
Frenzied mass flight
- screamingLoud, shrill vocalizing
- chaosComplete disorder and confusion
- terrorExtreme, overwhelming fear
frenzy · mayhem · riot · turmoil · bedlam · fear · alarm · scare · tumult · crisis
- frenzyfrenzy, mania, madness, fury, rage
- panicpanic attack, alarm, terror, fright, freak out
- social psychologysocial behavior, conformity, social influence, attribution, groupthink
- collective emotionscollective guilt, national pride, national mourning, emotional contagion, social contagion
- herd behaviorherd mentality, bandwagon effect, conformism, peer pressure, following the crowd
- mob psychologymob mentality, herd behavior, pack mentality, deindividuation, collective behavior
mass, masses, hysteria, hysterical, massed, massing, hysterics, hysterically, hysteric