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HISTORICAL VIEWS OF ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR

Our historical efforts to understand abnormal psychology include both humour and tragedy. In this section, we will highlight some views of psychopathology, and some of the treatments administered, from ancient times to the twenty-first century. In a broad sense, we will see a progression of beliefs from what we now consider superstition to those based on scientific awareness—from a focus on supernatural explanations to knowledge of natural causes. The course of this evolution has at times been marked by periods of advancement or unique, individual contributions, followed by long years of inactivity or unproductive, backward steps.

Demonology, Gods, and Magic

References to abnormal behaviour in early writings show that the Chinese, Egyptians, Hebrews, and Greeks often attributed such behaviour to a demon or god who had taken possession of a person. Whether the “possession “was assumed to involve good spirits or evil spirits usually depended on the affected individual’s symptoms. If person’s speech or behaviour appeared to have a religious or mystical significance; it was usually thought that he or she was possessed by a good spirit or god. Such people were often treated with considerable awe and respect, for people believed they had supernatural powers.

MASS MADNESS

Mass madness is when people get in an uproar about something because others are influencing them and then everyone begins to panic.

Dancing mania was a social phenomenon which involved groups of people dancing continuously .Men, women and children were affected by dancing mania who danced until they collapsed from exhaustion. One of the first outbreaks was in Aachen, Germany, in 1374, and it spread throughout Europe; one notable outbreak occurred in Strasbourg in 1518.

It affecting thousands of people across several centuries and dancing mania was not an isolated event and remedies were based on guesswork. Generally, musicians accompanied dancers, to help ward off the mania.

The several theories proposed range from religious cults being behind the processions to people dancing to relieve themselves of stress and put the poverty of the period out of their minds. It is, however, thought to be as a mass psychogenic illness in which the occurrence of similar physical symptoms, with no known physical cause, affects a large group of people as a form of social influence.

Characteristics of Dancing Mania

It occurred in times of hardship. Thousands of people would appear to dance for hours, days, weeks, and even for months. Most of the people did not reside where the dancing took place, they used to travel from place to place and this lead to exchange of culture and traditions which was strange to the local people.

The dancers were   in a state of unconsciousness, and unable to control themselves. Some dancers decorated their hair with garlands and all the dancing outbreaks were not calm. Some was violent were the dancers acted like animals, and jumped, hopped and leaped about. The dancers never stopped and some danced until they broke their ribs and subsequently died. Throughout, dancers screamed, laughed, or cried, and some sang songs.