THE PSYCHOLOGY OF CRAZES. 293 



tion; then precipitate, unreasoning action. In the panic, the psycho- 

 logical sequence is the same, except that fear takes the place of greed. 

 The stampede among animals may be taken as the type of all panics. 

 It is a reflex phenomenon consisting merely of contagious fear and 

 precipitate, unintelligent flight. Fear and flight constitute a most prim- 

 itive form of mental action, equalled in primitive character only by 

 that other form whose survival we have seen illustrated in wars and 

 homicidal manias, viz., anger, and combat. Although -the individual 

 has long outgrown these simple reflexes, yet in social excitement he 

 reverts to them. The recrudescence of the first of these two forms 

 is seen in the case of panics in theatres and burning buildings, where 

 social fear is followed by unintelligent flight, there being a temporary 

 paralysis of reason, prudence, the power of choosing means to ends, 

 respect for women and consideration for the weak and feeble. 



The limits of this paper permit me only to refer to other forms 

 of the craze illustrating the same laws. In fads and fashions of all 

 kinds, the behavior of the social personality is different only in degree 

 from that already described in the more serious epidemics. The law 

 of imitation is the same, but there is less excitement and emotional 

 disturbance and consequently a lesser paralysis of the higher mental 

 faculties and a lesser return to barbaric impulses. Whereas the others 

 may be called forms of social paranoia, these may be called forms of 

 social monomania. A single idea fills the public mind, and as a result 

 this idea is unduly exalted as to its importance and worth. The higher 

 mental powers are paralyzed only so far as that there is a perverted 

 judgment as to the relative importance of things and consequently a 

 more or less distorted view of the world and its values. Perhaps the 

 simplest form of this craze is seen in the epidemic character of children's 

 games. At different times of the season different games completely 

 fill the social consciousness of the child-world, so that for the moment 

 there is no interest in any other game. New and interesting sports, 

 such, for instance, as golf, often fill the social adult consciousness in 

 the same way. Then there are social and literary fads, crazes in musi- 

 cal airs, fashions in dress, furniture, houses and carriages, without num- 

 ber. Crazes of all kinds have found a prolific soil in America. The 

 American mind is highly suggestible. One fad after another rages over 

 the country and in some cases reduces the aggregate mind to a condition 

 of idiocy. The Dewey craze in New York City last year is an illustra- 

 tion of this. Nothing but a sort of hypnotic distortion of intellectual 

 vision could cause grown men to stand in line for an hour in order that 

 they might sit for an instant in the chair in which the hero sat during 

 the review, or to fight for shreds of the flags and awnings that decorated 

 the platform. 



Sporadic social reform movements take the form of crazes and illus- 



