Mass psychology, also called crowd psychology, examines how individuals’ behavior, thoughts, and emotions are shaped by being part of a larger group. Early thinkers such as Gustave Le Bon (1895/2002), Sigmund Freud (1922/1959), Leon Festinger (1954), and Floyd Allport (1924) explored phenomena such as emotional contagion, suggestion, and conformity, showing that people can act very differently in a group than when alone. Le Bon argued that when individuals join a crowd, they may lose critical judgment, become easily swayed by suggestions, and display heightened emotionality.
Understanding Mass Psychosis
Mass psychosis refers to collective disruptions in perception or judgment, when large groups of people adopt beliefs, behaviors, or emotions that seem disconnected from rational assessment. In such states, ego strength can weaken, leaving individuals vulnerable to overwhelming waves of fear or delusion.
A common precursor is what Freud (1922/1959) and later theorists described as free-floating anxiety; ageneralized fear or unease not tied to a specific cause. Contemporary research defines it as persistent anxiety without an identifiable object, often making individuals more susceptible to suggestion (Tyrer, 2018). When large numbers of people experience this form of anxiety, the psychological environment becomes fertile ground for collective panic.
Mass Hysteria Through History
Mass hysteria (sometimes termed collective hysteria or conversion disorder) involves groups manifesting physical or emotional symptoms without a medical cause, often triggered by suggestion or fear (Hacking, 2002). Historical examples include the Salem witch trials of 1692–1693, where accusations of witchcraft fueled widespread panic and executions (Norton, 2002).
More modern examples include the panic caused by Orson Welles’s 1938 radio broadcast of War of the Worlds, in which many listeners believed an alien invasion was underway (Cantril, 1940). Other documented cases include fainting outbreaks in schools, unexplained illness among military units, and even the 2016 “clown sightings,” which spread rapidly across media platforms and heightened fear without clear cause (Romano, 2016).
Mass Formation and Collective Behavior
Psychologist Matthias Desmet (2022) reframed this dynamic as mass formation, a process that arises when four conditions converge:
- Widespread social isolation
- Loss of meaning and purpose
- Free-floating anxiety without clear cause
- Frustration or anger lacking a specific outlet
When these conditions are present, a unifying narrative or authority can provide focus, giving individuals a sense of belonging and solidarity. While this can create cohesion, it can also reduce critical thinking and increase conformity to potentially destructive patterns. Desmet (2022) argues that aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic illustrated this process, as widespread fear and social disconnection amplified collective susceptibility to authority and groupthink.
The Wellness Connection
From a wellness standpoint, understanding mass psychology, hysteria, and mass formation is essential for both individual and community health. Recognizing how free-floating anxiety and social isolation can feed collective fear allows us to take proactive steps toward resilience.
Practices such as mindfulness, meditation, stress reduction, and intentional community building counteract these forces (Creswell, 2017). Media literacy and critical thinking further strengthen individual autonomy, enabling people to resist being swept into narratives that thrive on fear. By cultivating self-awareness and balanced perspectives, individuals protect their mental well-being while also fostering healthier collective environments.
Examples of Mass Psychosis:
“War of the Worlds” radio broadcast (1938) — Newspaper headlines reported that thousands of Americans were plunged into panic over an Orson Welles radio play, convinced that America was under a deadly Martian attack.
Mount Pleasant, Mississippi (1976) — School officials suspected drug use after 15 students fell to the ground writhing, but no drugs were found and hysteria is assumed to be the culprit. At one point, one third of the school’s 900 students stayed home for fear of being “hexed”.
San Diego (1988) — The U.S. Navy evacuated 600 men from barracks; 119 were sent to San Diego hospitals with complaints of breathing difficulty. No evidence of toxins, food poisoning, or any other cause was found.
North Carolina (2002) — Ten girls developed seizures and other symptoms at a rural North Carolinian high school. Symptoms persisted for five months across various grade levels. Incidents tended to happen outside of class, with half of all incidents estimated to have occurred around lunch hour. Half of the affected were cheerleaders or former cheerleaders.
2016 clown sightings — Sightings of people in evil clown costumes in the United States, Canada, and 18 other countries were dismissed as a case of mass hysteria, stating that a fear of clowns (which is common in children and adults) may be an underlying cause.
References:
Allport, F. H. (1924). Social psychology. Houghton Mifflin. https://pure.mpg.de/rest/items/item_2246895_6/component/file_2281854/content
Cantril, H. (1940). The invasion from Mars: A study in the psychology of panic. Princeton University Press. https://archive.org/details/invasionfrommars0000hadl/page/232/mode/2up
Creswell, J. D. (2017). Mindfulness interventions. Annual Review of Psychology, 68, 491–516. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-042716-051139
Desmet, M. (2022). The psychology of totalitarianism (Els Vanbrabant, Trans.). Chelsea Green Publishing. https://ia600508.us.archive.org/25/items/the-psychology-of-totalitarianism-2022-mattias-desmet_202308/The%20Psychology%20of%20Totalitarianism%20%282022%29-%20Mattias%20Desmet.pdf
Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparison processes. Human Relations, 7(2), 117–140. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872675400700202
Freud, S. (1922). GROUP PSYCHOLOGY AND THE ANALYSIS OF THE EGO (J. Strachey, Trans.). https://peachf.org/images/SoScience/PsyGroupAnalysisEgoFreud.pdf
Hacking, I. (2002). Mad travelers: Reflections on the Reality of Transient Mental Illnesses. Harvard University Press. https://archive.org/details/madtravelersrefl0000hack/page/2/mode/2up
Le Bon, G. (2002). The crowd: A study of the popular mind. Dover Publications. (Original work published 1895) https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/125518/1414_LeBon.pdf
Norton, M. B. (2002). In the Devil’s snare: The Salem witchcraft crisis of 1692. Vintage. https://archive.org/details/indevilssnare00mary
Romano, A. (2016, October 12). The great clown panic of 2016 is a hoax. But the terrifying side of clowns is real. Vox. https://www.vox.com/culture/2016/10/12/13122196/clown-panic-hoax-history
Tyrer, P. (2018). Recent advances in the understanding and treatment of health anxiety. Current Psychiatry Reports, 20(7). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-018-0912-0
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