Hysteria

Female Hysteria Similar to masturbatory insanity, the disease of hysteria operated in a similar way in the nineteenth century to control women. According to Chamberlain (2013), hysteria occurred at a period, when women were given new options in the division of labour, such as teaching and nursing. A medical system was developed to emphasize that in men, the brain is a predominant organ of the body, whereas in women, the nervous and reproductive system is dominant; hence their role in society is to reproduce (White, 2008). Using the brain, therefore, threatens women’s primary role of the reproductive system and challenges the idea of essential difference. Women who suffered from symptoms such as nervousness, temperamental or hallucinations were enough to be diagnosed with a medical treatment in the Victorian era. (Tasca, Rapetti, Carta & Fadda, 2012). The medical treatment for this ‘disease’ often involved masturbation from a medical practitioner to release the sexual tension causing hysteria, and provide sexual relief resulting in "hysterical paroxysm," or orgasm (Tasca et al, 2012). The medical terms used in women’s medical health, signifies how…

Before the advancement of technology, psychological disorders such as Mass Hysteria was looked at as an enigma. Some people associated the symptoms with black magic, as it was a psychogenic illness which they had no explanation for. It is caused by extreme levels of stress and anxiety. Symptoms of Mass Hysteria are more commonly seen in women. The history of Mass Hysteria goes back to the middle ages. It was firstly thought of to be caused by a natural disease. Later on in the colonies, people…

Understanding Mass Hysteria and its Fundamental Characteristics The power of mass hysteria is so dangerous that it can create both physical and psychological situations that can take lives, change global politics and cause panic in hundreds or even thousands of individuals. Mass hysteria is when emotions, especially fear in a group of people are so strong that it leads people to act in an uncontrolled way. Some examples of mass hysteria are the Salem witch trials, the fear experienced by…

Throughout the 19th and 20th century there was a widespread belief that women suffered from an illness called hysteria. Its definition states that it is a “psychological disorder” in which mental stresses can turn into physical symptoms such as “attention-seeking behavior[s]”. The origin of this word comes from the Greek word “hystera,” which literally means uterus. Thus this disorder was linked to women, specifically women whom men considered to be disturbed in some way if they did not conform…

The themes of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible remain evident in today’s society. In it, the people of Salem, Massachusetts begin to turn on each other when mass hysteria around the idea of witchcraft results in the hanging of dozens of innocent citizens. Similar to The Crucible, with today’s technology, there is a huge amount of mass hysteria around the idea that the internet is threatening and alarming. In the crucible, Salem, Massachusetts undergoes the witch trials. Once one person was named…

for the Communists, - but I was not a communist so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Socialists and the Trade Unionists, - but I was neither, so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Jews, - but I was not a Jew so I did not speak out. And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me." Although this poem by Martin Niemoller speaks about the failure of good people to act soon enough against the Nazis, it could also apply to the characters of Salem Village in…

How can these two stories written in considerably different forms, about such different events but with similarly implied meanings, help us to have a better understanding of the cultural purpose of true crime stories in the modern world? Both The Crucible and A Jury of Her Peers suggest meanings that are intended to comment on cultural issues faced in the past, which have been the result of emotions such as fear and feelings of superiority. Considering these feelings among people,…

Hysteria is a behaviour that was interpreted as madness and assigned to women who cause trouble. “Hysteria comes from a Greek word meaning simply that which proceeds from the uterus”. In the 5th century BC, Hippocrates was using the word “hysteria” to describe women experiencing anxiety or stress. By the middle ages, hysteria was associated with witchcraft. Exorcism and torture became the preferred treatments of hysteria and remained until the modern age. The outbreak of hysteria was the Salem…

What should be considered as the main theme of The Crucible by Arthur Miller? It can possibly be Reputation or Intolerance. Although the play presents numerous topics, there can only be one that fits the play’s purpose. The theme that led to the demise of innocent people in the community of Salem. The main theme of The Crucible should be seen as Hysteria because of the girls blaming everyone, overemphasized meaning of witchcraft, and religious belief. The girls blaming everyone can be…

Throughout the play, The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, hysteria fueled by the fear of witchcraft spreads like wildfire through the damaged and subdued Puritan town of Salem, Massachusetts. The Crucible illustrates that it only takes one person to make an entire society become unhinged, especially violently. Abbigail Parris’ motivation for fueling the hysteria was the power and respect that she receives as a result of it, and she, as a character, demonstrates that in the right conditions,…