Difference Between Paranormal And Mass Hysteria

The Paranormal and Mass Hysteria The paranormal has always been hotly debated. Often mass hysteria is blamed as a factor in people’s belief in the paranormal. Mass hysteria contributes to the events surrounding paranormal activity by amplifying people’s emotions, such as fear and nervousness. Mass hysteria is defined as an assumed threat that causes physical symptoms among a large group of people (Yelnick). The whole sociological concept of mass hysteria preys on anxiety, fear, and the community dynamic (Arnold). In a nutshell, when one member of a community or group (especially if they are a well-known or well-liked member) reports an instance of paranormal activity, others subconsciously follow their lead. People put themselves on edge,
The human brain tries to process everything with the most logical explanation possible. When something unexplainable happens, people tend to fall back on the paranormal as a catch all for all odd occurrences. People’s need for everything to be logical and easily explained can cause them to become hysterical over otherwise benign situations. One such instance is the famous Amityville Horror. The story goes as such: George and Kathy Lutz, plus their three kids, moved into the house at 112 Ocean Avenue Amityville, New York. Less than a month later the family moved out, fleeing to Kathy’s mother’s house (Jones). They cited paranormal activity as their reason for leaving. They claimed the DeFoes, previous owners were haunting the house. The DeFoe family were murdered in the house by their son in December 1974 (a year before the Lutz moved in) (Jones). The Lutz family reported physical touching, unexplainable voices, and strange sensations around the house (Lynott). They even reported damages to the house from the paranormal entities. After clearing out of the house, the Lutz told the public of their story. Throngs of people came to the house in Amityville to try to experience the paranormal. Several came out with more claims of