from lat. fanum - altar, temple) - complete preoccupation with some idea, worldview, religion, passionate and blind commitment to a cause, ideology.
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FANATICISM
passionate attachment to some opinion, usually religious or political. It was fanaticism that lay at the origins religious wars and the Inquisition, and today it can lead to ideological wars. Its principle is not to include in the human race those who profess a different religion, belong to a different party, or are supporters of a different ideology. Religious fanaticism was condemned by the Church Council of 1962, which put forward the principle of the unity of the human race; As for ideological fanaticism, Khrushchev spoke out against it, defending the peaceful coexistence of two ideologies (communist and capitalist), dividing the world between them. Fanaticism is the opposite of tolerance. Usually fanaticism, which is a universal human phenomenon, is inversely proportional to the competence (political fanaticism), knowledge and culture of an individual or people. It is also associated with the passions that can be caused by differences in the living standards of Individuals or peoples, in particular poverty and political dependence.
Brain healthy person able to skip up to 10 thousand thoughts a day. Fanatics life circumstances and actions are subject to one dominant thought, which is why they cannot switch to everyday problems and needs. If they succeed, then automatically and on a short time. Fanatics live in constant stress.
Fanaticism - what is it?
"Fanaticism" is translated from Latin as "frenzy". People suffering from this pathology have atrophied doubt - they blindly believe in an idea or a person who excited and impressed them, deify their ideal. Fanatics are different ordinary people readiness to sacrifice one's own and other people's life, rejection of criticism, social norms and common sense. Such people do not realize devastating consequences of his behaviour.
fanaticism is mental illness which can affect any area. AT international classification 7 types of the disease are indicated, some of them are normally perceived in society:
- political;
- health;
- ideological;
- scientific;
- religious;
- sports;
- cultural.
Signs of bigotry
Fanaticism has two degrees - medium and extreme. The average degree is common and manifests itself in the fact that a person is subject to a dominant idea, but does not bring it to the point of absurdity and does not impose it on others. The extreme degree is diagnosed less frequently and is expressed in the rigid imposition of one's choice on other people, tyranny towards them, including torture and other types of physical violence. Symptoms of the disease are manifested in the following deviations from the norm:
- The fanatic takes events concerning his idol to heart. He suffers, falls into depression, up to suicide due to the marriage of an idol, the loss of his beloved football club.
- A person accompanies the object of worship on tour, is on duty at the house, buys accessories and attributes associated with it.
- Fanatical people constantly talk about the "idea fix" - they are not interested in other topics.
- Interests and hobbies that used to be a joy fade into the background.
- The fanatic reacts aggressively to any attacks by others concerning the object or subject of his worship.
fanaticism towards man
This kind mental disorder differs from others in that a specific person becomes the object of persecution and worship of a fanatic. Often the victim of fanaticism is a popular singer, musician, actor and other famous person. The main danger of such a state is its stability - the closer the idol, the more dangerous the behavior of his fans. The modern stage knows hundreds of cases when fans in ecstasy tore clothes on celebrities, broke into their homes, pursued them on tour.
Fanaticism can manifest itself in relation to a person of the opposite sex. This form of disorder is often confused with love. A woman's love for a man implies a sober assessment of the merits and demerits of her partner, and a fanatical passion idealizes and deifies him, bows, does not notice shortcomings, justifies any words and deeds of his deity.
Sports fanaticism
A sports fanatic is a person who is normally perceived by society. An army of football fans comes to other cities and countries to support their favorite team. Matches end peacefully or with fan fights. AT modern society such behavior is considered a fan movement, or part of sports game. You can distinguish a fan from an ordinary fan by the following features:
- Abuse of beer and other alcoholic beverages.
- Doping (soft drugs, pills, energy drinks).
- Permissiveness in words and actions during and after the competition.
Religious bigotry
Religious fanatics build their religion into a cult, denying the existence of other religions. They and their like-minded people are driven by the desire to rule over the Gentiles. The group values of fanatics are elevated to a cult of worship - they blindly believe in a religious leader, obey him unquestioningly and are ready to give their lives if necessary.
Muslim and Orthodox fanaticism equally dangerous extremist aspirations. New members of the sect are "brainwashed" for 2-3 weeks, and after 4-5 years of life, according to the charter of the religious community, the changes become irreversible. Any cult is united by the same signs:
- They have a leader who calls herself the messiah.
- They are ruled by a totalitarian system and philosophy.
- Members of the cult unquestioningly obey the rules of the community.
- Fanatics unquestioningly give property and money for the benefit of the community.
How do you become a fanatic?
The psychology of fanaticism identifies 3 reasons that push a person to change.
- Envy of others' success.
- Low self-esteem.
- A famous person who has achieved everything and shines.
The psychology of religious fanaticism is based on the hopelessness of a person when he gets into a difficult situation. life situation and sees no way out of it. At such moments, he goes into religion and imperceptibly falls under the influence of adherents of the sect. They instill in him the knowledge of " the right way”, sympathize, express readiness to support and talk about the problems that they themselves have recently encountered. Fanatics flee from reality to religion, not out of love for God, but out of their own suffering and the indifference of those around them.
How to get rid of fanaticism?
bigotry like psychological phenomenon appeared in the 17th century, when the Catholic Bishop Bossuet introduced this concept into everyday life. Successful disposal from the disease is possible if:
- The fanatic will realize that his claims are false.
- Learn to analyze and look at the situation from the other side.
- Will switch to other events.
- Raise self-esteem.
- Seek help from a psychologist.
Films about fanatics
Fanaticism in love, religion, sports and any social sphere- sign emotional instability, impressionability, absence leadership qualities, suggestibility. Dozens of films have been made about fanatics - they talk about the dangers of blind faith and following idols, religious servility.
- "Fan" with Robert De Niro - a drama about difficult relationship professional athlete and his fan.
- "Master" tells about a sailor who got a job in a photo studio after the war. After a while, the former military man falls under the influence of a religious leader and begins to preach his precepts.
- "Die, John Tucker!" The plot of the film tells about a school macho who wants to take revenge on his three ex girls. They are not stopped by the fact that the bait in the insidious plan is a girl who has just arrived in the city.
Emotionally self-sufficient, self-confident, positive-minded people live in harmony with the world around them. They do not need to defend their rightness, no matter what it may concern. Calmly interacting with others, they carry their point of view with dignity, without feeling the need for someone to share it without fail. However, another category of people is represented in the world, opposite to the one described above and called "fanatics".
Fanaticism... What is it?
However, not every manifestation of excessive interest in something can characterize a person as a fanatic. And vice versa.
Fanaticism is an excessive passion for any idea or person, expressed in the dedication to the object of worship of a significant part of one's life and its spiritual content, as well as in the irreconcilable upholding own view and imposing it on other people, often in aggressive form. This phenomenon can be related to anything - morality, famous person, political current etc. However, religious fanaticism is its most dangerous form.
Origins of religious fanaticism
Religious fanaticism is a commitment to a particular religion and its traditions, which is combined with intolerant, often aggressive attitude to those whose point of view is different. From the moment when mankind acquired its first religion, and to the present time, the same trend has been observed - adherents of one or another spiritual movement sooner or later elevate its postulates to the rank of indisputable truth. And despite the fact that most religions carry very similar truths, the so-called fanatics not only remain faithful to them, they try to make them a monopoly and impose them as much as possible. more of people. World history knows a lot of examples of religious fanaticism, which include both the Inquisition and Crusades, and mass self-immolations in the name of the old faith ... And in different times society's attitude to this phenomenon was very different. In the above examples, there is both religious fanaticism in the highest circles, and pinpoint resistance to dissent. In both cases, any bias in beliefs and faith towards emotions and intransigence carries a serious threat to well-being. individual people and the state as a whole.
Religious bigotry today
In our time, examples of religious fanaticism can be found in all mass religions. Although the image of the most aggressive religion was acquired by Islam in connection with a significant number of terrorist acts, from which dozens of countries have been shuddering for many years. Nevertheless, the influence of fanaticism can be quite destructive without violence. For example, fanatical parents can raise their child contrary to the modern canons of human development and socialization. Cases are known when modern families Those who attend religious sects grow up illiterate children, because the leaders of the spiritual movement, to which the parents of the child are committed, consider it wrong to teach female children to read and write. Catholic Church strongly negative attitude to abortion and protection from unwanted conception. And although society has gradually developed a fairly tolerant and sometimes favorable attitude towards abortion, in some countries or their certain regions abortion is still banned, which is also considered to be a manifestation of religious fanaticism. Sometimes the extreme intolerance of people does not harm anyone but themselves. For example, ardent Buddhists do not impose their faith on others, do not argue, do not prove right. Their fanaticism manifests itself mainly in deep concentration, numerous and prolonged spiritual practices, which sometimes drive people to madness, since the tests to which they subject themselves are often unthinkable.
Attitude towards the fanaticism of the Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church treats this phenomenon with condemnation and rejection. Fanaticism is a sin, according to Orthodox clergy. Lack of love for all people, spiritual death, idle talk without reasoning cannot be encouraged by the Orthodox. Fanatical parents who bring small children with them to the service and do not notice the child's fatigue, his lack of understanding and rejection of the situation, instill in him not love for the church, but fear, irritation, unwillingness to come there again.
Reasons for fanaticism
Fanaticism is a phenomenon that does not arise on empty place. Like any other deviation, it has causes that go back, as a rule, very deeply. Fanatic people are most often aggressive, embittered, do not understand and do not accept someone else's point of view. Sometimes they become part of a community, faithfully follow its dogmas and try to transfer their view of faith to the closest social circle. And there is another category of fanatics - leaders who not only share and follow a philosophy or religion that is attractive to them, but through bright, charismatic actions involve a large number of people, not exhausted by the circle of relatives and friends. And if the former are generally harmless carriers of annoying information, the latter pose an extremely serious threat to society.
Every day, dozens and hundreds of people are involved in the life of sects of unknown origin, turn away from their families, spend huge sums of money to maintain and develop a congenial community, lose themselves in an effort to follow the postulates that have found a vivid response in their souls thanks to charisma, confidence and oratory leader.
Ways to combat religious fanaticism
Life does not stand still, most states modern world are secular. Despite being very respectful, any power, as a rule, is not interested in extreme manifestations of religiosity. What measures are being taken in various countries to minimize the manifestation of fanaticism among believers? In some Asian countries, over the past twenty to twenty-five years, many bans have been introduced regarding the wearing of cult clothing for ordinary people who are not related to the priesthood. Sometimes such bans are caused not so much by the fight against violent fanatics as by security considerations. For example, a few years ago, France took the path of banning the wearing of hijabs. Wherein this decision cost the country a lot, given the uncompromising attitude of Muslims to clothing issues.
A lot of efforts are being made to combat religious fanaticism undertaken in the field of education. They try to give children the opportunity to choose and protect their fragile consciousness from the onslaught of savvy religious fanatics. In many countries, the activities of certain organizations that have an ideology based on religion are prohibited by law.
national bigotry
No less terrible, destructive and ruthless is national fanaticism. This zealous worship of the exclusive superiority of this or that nation or race world history many examples of bloody confrontations. One of the most striking manifestations of national fanaticism was Alfred Ploetz's idea of dividing all people into higher and inferior race, which subsequently marked the beginning of the Second World War.
Another example is the Ku Klux Klan, an organization with great amount people who hated, deeply despised blacks.
The bitterness of the members of the KKK led to unthinkable amount victims who died from the sophisticated cruelty of fanatics. Echoes of the activities of this organization are periodically heard at the present time.
The psychological nature of fanaticism
Fanaticism that develops on a large scale, as a rule, has reasons of a social or political nature. An extreme display of faith is always beneficial to someone other than the rabid adherents. But what makes it so specific person? Why one becomes a fanatic, and the other, in spite of everything, continues to go his own way life path without reacting to other people's opinions and religious dogmas.
As a rule, the reasons for becoming a real fanatic are rooted in childhood. Most often, fanatics are people with early years accustomed to live in fear and misunderstanding. Mistakes in education made by their parents, at a conscious age, turn into a desire to join a group and become part of it in order to feel safe and confident. However, a person cannot find peace just because there are people with similar views. He will continue to worry, worry, look for a threat in any manifestation of dissent, fight with convincing everyone and everything that his truth is the first. This is how fanaticism manifests itself. What does it mean? Anyone who thinks otherwise threatens his hard-won peace. Therefore, interaction with a fanatic is not so easy.
How to deal with manifestations of fanaticism in a loved one
Fanaticism... What is it? What to do if a person close to you is among the fanatics? Any manifestations of extreme intolerance and blind worship, whether it be selfless love for a star, or an aggressive desire to share one's faith with other people at all costs, are signs of an unhealthy psyche.
According to many researchers, fanaticism is a disease. Relatives and friends of such a person should seriously approach the solution of such problems. And if it is no longer possible to correct the mistakes made many years ago, then support, understanding, elimination of the causes for fears and anxieties, timely access to psychologists, motivation for self-development and strengthening of the psyche will help to overcome this phenomenon.
Suppose, when solving a crossword puzzle, you came across the following definition: “ devotion to something for" - and there are only eight letters. In such a situation, the first thing that comes to mind is the word "fanaticism." And you will be right, because this is the correct answer.
Fanaticism. Who can be considered a fanatic
Nowadays, most people use the term "fanatic". Many guess what this word means, but it is better to clarify. In psychology, such a meaning of the word fanaticism is given - it is often an unfounded and poorly realized belief in any object or phenomenon.
Very often, it is these characteristics of fanaticism that lead to erroneous, thoughtless actions. Unfortunately, there are many examples in history that prove this.
Psychology notes that fanaticism is a serious mental illness. True, in different countries psychologists do not equally define its boundaries. For example, in the United States of America, you will be considered a fanatic if you deviate even slightly from the standard of a mentally healthy person. And this disease will immediately begin to be treated by the methods provided by psychology.
At this point, there are known types of beliefs that are associated with the following sectors of society:
- Religion.
- Sports activity.
- Art.
- Politics.
- Health.
- Scientific activity.
Each type of fanaticism has its own specific characteristics. But if you try, you can find common features and characteristics of these features. Psychology identifies the following characteristics:
- The fanatic bears too hard all that is experienced by the one whom he worships. The most extreme form is suicide. Very often a person comes to this at the moment when his hero either dies or ends his professional career.
- The fanatic spends most of his savings in pursuing the object of his imitation. He follows him everywhere, goes to each of his performances, buys everything that is somehow connected with his hero, and so on.
- A person is fixated on one thing. He talks about the same thing all the time. All the time he tries to show that he is convinced of the ideality of the object of worship.
- Young people often narrow their circle of interests. They cease to be interested in what previously fascinated. Everything fades into the background. All attention goes to the object of worship.
But you have to give credit to the people. For many, fanaticism is a temporary phenomenon, with which the majority "sick" in adolescence. But there are exceptions to any rule, and sometimes there are still people with extreme forms manifestations of the disease.
Now that we have more or less figured out what fanaticism is and who fanatics are, let's talk about the most common forms of fanaticism - this is ideological and religious fanaticism.
Common Forms of Persuasion
1. Religious conviction is the most pronounced form of interest in the religious sphere of activity, with the creation of a cult of worship from it and the creation of a group of people with the same mindset.
To a person who has absolutely nothing to do with religion, it may seem that any religious man is the bearer of radical religious beliefs. But for believers, comparing them with fanatics is insulting to say the least.
Almost always religious belief based on the fact that the holy sacrifice is offered in the name of God. The basis of this belief is faith. This is where you have to be careful. Do not confuse faith and fanaticism. Here are the differences between the two:
- A believer has a calm, not aggressive behavior, and the fanatic is always full of emotions, he is unable to restrain himself.
- Believers never wish harm to others. The fanatic can be aggressive in his actions, and very often.
- Usually, to prove his point, the fanatic tries to shout down his opponent. A believer tries to calmly, peacefully convey his thoughts to others.
In general, the difference is clear. One is calm, the other is aggressive. Fanaticism is closely related to religion. But we must not forget that religion primarily implies genuine faith.
As an example of the manifestation of such fanaticism, one can cite a large number of terrorist attacks that have been committed in order to seize power. It also includes uprisings coups d'état and so on.
Psychologists note that the source of political beliefs is often the desire for power and the desire to subjugate as much as possible. more people any, possible and impossible, price. That is why the most irreconcilable political fanatics, in one way or another, turned to methods that allow them to seize power.
Reasons for fanaticism
Having dealt mainly with the topic of fanaticism, we want to consider now the most important thing - the causes this phenomenon. So, the main reasons for fanaticism at the moment are:
- Dissatisfaction with one's personal or social status.
- Avoiding unpleasant situations by being completely inspired by something else.
- Realization of your ego.
- The desire to control someone or something.
- The desire to escape from problems, from the real world.
Fanatics always have certain signs. Here are examples of some of them:
- Flag, anthem, special clothes.
- Posters, banners, signs.
- Unwarranted outbursts of aggression.
- Grouping.
- Same lifestyle.
- fixation on the object of imitation.
Each person "fans" from something, well, or from someone. The main thing is not to forget that fanaticism is a disease. You don't have to rush into what you love. Assess the situation sensibly and never bring fanaticism to an extreme stage. And it is best to have this disease in adolescence. Author: Olga Morozova
- (French fanatisme, from lat. fanaticus - frenzied) adherence to any beliefs or beliefs, intolerance to any other views, for example, religious F. Great Soviet Encyclopedia
