The social setting of hysteria

Abstract

Previous reviews of hysteria have emphasized the most severe and disabling forms and ignored evidence from a wide variety of sources. It is argued that hysteria is more prevalent in medial settings than is usually recognized, that the same psychological mechanisms are of wide occurrence, often being accepted as normal for the culture. Discussion of the social factors affecting prevalence suggests that there is a universal potential for the hysterical reaction, with individual variation in susceptibility in appropriate circumstances.