mass hysteria (redirected from Mass hysterias)

mass hysteria

n.

1. Spontaneous, en masse development of identical physical or emotional symptoms among a group of individuals, as in a classroom of schoolchildren.

2. A socially contagious frenzy of irrational behavior in a group of people as a reaction to an event.

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mass hysteria

Etymology: ME, maiour, great; Gk, hystera, womb

an episode of psychogenic illness affecting a large group of individuals at the same time. Examples include the witchcraft trials of the 17th century and the irrational mass reaction to the 1938 radio show based on H.G. Wells' science-fiction novel, War of the Worlds. Also called collective hysteria, epidemic hysteria, major hysteria, mass panic, mass psychogenic illness.

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mass hysteria

Psychiatry The 'transmission' of anxiety among a group of individuals