A Social-Psychological Theory of Collective Anxiety Attacks
The "Mad Gasser" Reexamined
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2277133 |
|---|---|
| Authors | R E Bartholomew (0000-0003-0657-0920, James Cook University, Queensland, Australia, corresponding author), Jeffrey S Victor (State University of New York at Jamestown), Jeffrey Victor (University of Jamestown) |
| Year | 2004 |
| Volume | 45 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 229-248 |
| Publication date | 2004-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Sociological Quarterly (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0038-0253 • E-ISSN: 1533-8525 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1525/tsq.2004.45.2.229 |
| OpenAlex | W4230775711 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 10 |
| References cited | 51 |
This article presents a social-psychological theory to explain collective behavior involving unusual somatic reactions. The authors term this social phenomenon a “collective anxiety attack,” to distinguish it from the psychiatric label of “mass psychogenic illness.” First, the article contrasts fundamental assumptions of a psychiatric-medical interpretation with a social-psychological interpretation. Next, the article illustrates the difference using a reinterpretation of and new data about the classic case of the “mad gasser of Mattoon.” Then, the authors present a social-psychological theory which suggests that collective anxiety is induced by a shared belief in a threat rumor. Once a belief in an imminent threat spreads widely enough to create a consensual definition of the situation, the belief intensifies fear and distorts individual perception. Belief in the threat rumor creates psychological stress and expectancy effects that shape an individual's somatic reactions, so that expectations of feeling sick result in symptoms of sickness. In conclusion, the article suggests a program for research and ways of managing collective anxiety attacks
Anxiety · Expectancy theory · Feeling · Interpretation (philosophy) · Perception · Psychiatry · Psychogenic disease · Reinterpretation · Rumor · Social anxiety · Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion · Psychology · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology
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| Unique citing works | 10 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,56 |
| Citation span | 2008 - 2025 (18) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 8 |