Mass Hysteria's Role In Society

Mayhem Mass hysteria is a phenomenon caused by fear. History has shown us mass hysteria in two forms, and fears of evil or the devil himself. These people whom lived in fear were lead by a persuasive leader, whom they follow because they are convinced of the same threat. Their leader is also authoritative because of his role in power. This power is considered biased because this power comes from within a society. Mass hysteria is started by institutions in society with power, such as armies, law makers or other authoritative figures within a society. People within a society are already known, so citizens believe it is already valid. Governments, or even a single leader can be the basis and beginning to create fear within the people. People who are accused are innocent people who are left with a negative impact on their lives. A negative impact includes bad things like jail, death, forced relocation or property loss. Japanese internment was caused by fear of the Japanese people themselves. The U.S. …show more content…
People have to fear something. In the past people feared witches. Then, an authoritative figure who has power convinces the people that this fear is valid. This can be someone that society looks up to, like the head of a church. Institutions such as governments then support this fear and the people and the becomes even more real after a government agency validates the fear even further. The police or other forms of law enforcement may contribute to this validation as well. These people are feared by the rest of a society or group of people, led by a person in power. They are scared into belief. The institutions falsely accuse innocent people. The government can take the innocently accused people to court, leading to imprisonment or loss of property. The government has power advantage. Leaving people helpless and negatively impacting their