Fanaticism is an extreme degree of a person’s commitment to any concepts, ideas or beliefs, manifested in the absence of a critical perception of the chosen system, as well as an extremely negative attitude and lack of tolerance towards other ideological positions. Such adherence is similar to blind, unsupported and unjustified faith, therefore fanaticism is most widespread in the religious sphere, but is not limited to it (this includes political views and national, musical and subcultural), including any of the spheres of human manifestation where there is division people regarding choice, belonging and taste.
What is fanaticism?
Fanaticism is the unconscious adherence to certain beliefs, the radical implementation of specific ideas, which implies a lack of patience with other ideas and their bearers.
Currently, the concept of “fanaticism” has a pronounced negative meaning. However, in some cases, fanatical behavior can have a positive context. For example, a teacher is fanatically devoted to his work, ready to sacrifice his own interests and personal life for it. But in the overwhelming majority of cases, fanaticism is understood as a negative phenomenon. Examples include the antisocial behavior of football fans, their vandalism in public places, the cause of which is precisely fanaticism.
The term "fanaticism" comes from the Latin word "fanum". It is translated as “temple”, “sacred place”. In the past, religion enjoyed great authority, and religious fear was the support of every strong government.
In the medical classification, fanaticism is not considered a mental illness. However, a fanatic may have pathologies. Fanaticism can become a sign of a certain mental illness. For example, schizophrenia.
Signs of fanaticism
The category “fanaticism” does not have a general standard definition. But there are some character traits that correspond to a fanatic:
- the personality is possessed by an obsession. She becomes completely obsessed with her;
- such a person does not perceive logical arguments that run counter to his idea. A fanatic is led by feelings, does not listen to common sense, and demonstrates his commitment to ideology;
- A fanatic is completely focused on ideas and does not accept other views. During an argument, he defends his idea, cannot compromise, and demonstrates narrowness of thinking;
- a person has only one passionate goal, the desire to realize it. To achieve it, the fanatic is ready to make any sacrifice. It often justifies any rigidity that is necessary for a higher purpose;
- A fanatic divides all people into 2 categories: friends and enemies.
Examples of fanaticism
Today we can name many examples of fanaticism. Let's look at the most common of them:
1. Sports fanaticism. A sports fanatic is a person who is treated normally by the public. An army of big football fans visits various cities and even other states to support their team. However, after the match is over, a fight may break out, initiated by fans. Today in society such behavior is called the fan movement. There are several main characteristics that distinguish a fan from an ordinary fan:
- desire for violence against fans of other sports teams;
- use of prohibited pyrotechnics during matches;
- permissiveness in words and actions during the match and after it.
2. Religious fanaticism. For such fanatics, religion is a cult. They completely reject other religions. The desire of religious fanatics and their like-minded people is power over people of other faiths. The group values of fanatics turn into a cult of worship.
Religious fanaticism (as opposed to a simple adherent of religion) is characterized by the following negative phenomena:
- the desire to impose one's religion on other people;
- negative attitude towards representatives of other religions, treating them as “second-class” people
- justification of violence if it is committed in the name of a professed religion;
Common Forms of Persuasion
1. Religious belief 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 thinking.
Relatively recently, this concept was found exclusively in history textbooks. It dates back to the times of the USSR. But now people's lives have changed, and we hear about religious fanaticism almost every day.
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To a person who has absolutely nothing to do with religion, it may seem that any religious person is a bearer of radical religious beliefs. But for believers, comparing them with fanatics is offensive, to say the least.
Almost always, religious belief is based on the fact that a holy sacrifice is offered in the name of God. The basis of this belief is faith. This is where you need to be careful. There is no need to confuse faith and fanaticism. Here are the differences between these two phenomena:
- A believer has a calm, non-aggressive behavior, but a fanatic is always full of emotions, he is unable to restrain himself.
- Believers never wish harm to others. A fanatic can be aggressive in his actions, and very often.
- Usually, to prove his point, a fanatic tries to shout down his opponent. A believer tries to calmly and 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 first of all implies genuine faith.
2. Ideological persuasion is also often called political fanaticism. If you look closely, you will notice that we meet with him every day. Ideological fanaticism is associated with the struggle of people for their political beliefs, with the achievement of certain political goals and the expression of views on the regime and power with the help of which the country is governed.
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As an example of the manifestation of such fanaticism, one can cite a large number of terrorist attacks that were committed to seize power. This 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 many people as possible at any cost, possible or impossible. That is why the most irreconcilable political fanatics, one way or another, turned to methods that allow them to seize power.
Reasons for the emergence of fanaticism
There are a fairly large number of reasons that give rise to personal fanaticism. For example, it can become a consequence of family upbringing, or it can develop gradually, for example, when one person receives unlimited power. There are psychological reasons for the emergence of fanaticism. As a rule, people who usually become fanatics are:
— experiencing difficulties in identifying their own personality, self-realization in life;
- those who do not trust the world around them or themselves;
- without education, who believe in prejudices, experience fear;
- easily suggestible, without their own worldview, life values, principles;
- schizoid, hysterical personality type.
- lacking confidence;
- those in need of control, accustomed to subordination;
The tendency towards fanaticism appears in childhood. She is affected by the destructive style of upbringing in the family. Authoritarianism, demandingness, child manipulation, isolation, deprivation, violent acts, and lack of love and care have a similar effect. A prerequisite for the formation of fanaticism is a feeling of uselessness, insolvency, and powerlessness.
Most often, a person’s fanaticism is the result of certain manipulations. Their victims are usually people who cannot decide on goals in their lives, are too trusting, and naive. Fanatics are born in a crowd that has a leader. Mass fanaticism is considered very destructive and carries great danger. It is much worse than individual. People in crowds can destroy shops, various buildings, and set cities on fire.
Examples of famous fanatics
Due to their characteristics, fanatical individuals often become known throughout the world. The most striking example is Adolf Hitler, a racial bigot of the 20th century. Let's take a closer look at other examples.
The fanatic was Heinrich Kramer, a medieval German activist of the Inquisition, author of the treatise “The Hammer of the Witches.” There are obvious fanatical traits in his personality. With his commitment to the Catholic Church and his desire to cleanse it of heresy, he justified brutal torture and murder. Although the methods of the witch trials were legal, it was impossible to logically prove the involvement of people in witchcraft. Therefore, Kramer decides to write a work on heretics, on the basis of which it will be possible to condemn as many people as possible. His sermons were more like the speech of a madman. He claimed that the end of the world was about to come at the hands of the devil, intimidated his flock at the slightest suspicion of heresy and did not look for a way to justify anyone.
An example of mass fanaticism is an event in France in the mid-16th century, called St. Bartholomew's Night. Then about 30 thousand Protestants were killed on religious grounds; Catholics were the aggressors. The event was not planned as a mass event, but the situation got out of control. The reason for this is the passionate hatred of one group of the population towards another. They only needed a reason to allow themselves inhuman behavior, justified by a good goal - proof of the superiority of their religion. This indicates the ease of spreading fanatical ideas, their “contagiousness.”
One example of useful bigotry is the behavior of Greta Thunberg. There is no need to talk about fanaticism in full here, but the girl still has some features of fanatical behavior. For example, Asperger's syndrome, which Thunberg suffers from, allows her to intensely focus on issues that are important to her, cutting off all related interests. Devotion to her ideas allowed her to become one of the leading popularizers of ecology.
Steve Jobs was a true fanatic of his business. He was preoccupied with creating the perfect product, his genius bordering on recklessness. For improper fulfillment of obligations by employees, Jobs could, without mincing words, explain who the fool was. For whom there really was no reality beyond the sphere of his professional hobbies.
As you can see, fanatics are different. Even the words “religious fanatic” and “fanatic of his cause” have different emotional connotations. A fanatic of his craft - a master, a professional who puts his work first. A religious fanatic is an inadequate follower of faith, a fanatic.
Levels of fanaticism
There are 2 levels of fanaticism:
- Moderate. With this level of fanaticism, people are adherents of a certain idea, they can impose it, however, they are not inclined to use violence in the name of their idea;
- Heavy. Adherents of an idea make active efforts to convince people with opposing opinions of it and to lure them away. To achieve their goal, they are ready to use various means, including physical and psychological violence.
There is also socially acceptable and unacceptable fanaticism. The first type includes youth subcultures, football fans. Society treats such movements with caution, but loyally. The second type includes religious sects and terrorists.
Disadvantages of fanaticism and its negative impact
Fanaticism is a destructive tendency towards something. It prevents the individual from feeling freedom, developing, and self-realization in life. And that's not the whole problem. Another danger of fanaticism is the fanatical person's lack of ability to agree with another point of view. As a result, rejection of opposing ideas can become a reason for war, violence, and infringement of rights.
Fanatics do not have a stable psychological state. These are asocial and aggressive people who pose a danger to themselves and society, and do not take into account existing norms and rules. The appearance of fanatics and their behavior only frightens the people around them. To describe a fanatic, the following phrase is enough: “he is crazy.” Fanatic people are characterized by loud speech, harsh expressions, shouting, an unnatural sparkle in the eyes, and active gestures. The fanatic does not want to see and hear the real world. He has his own reality.
Conflict between a simple and a fanatical person can break out for any reason. For example, visiting a club. A fan is ready to tear another person to pieces for any little thing that is opposed to him. He also has strong positive emotions. A crowd of fanatics can practically tear their idol to pieces.
Personality traits that contribute to the development of fanaticism
There are several prerequisites for the formation of a fanatical personality. Having them does not mean at all that a person will necessarily become a fanatic. This is facilitated by a whole range of reasons, both internal (character, type of nervous system, ideology) and external (socio-cultural and historical aspect).
So, the risk zone includes people who have the following character traits:
- Affectivity . That is, emotional impulsiveness, the habit of making decisions rashly.
- The need to find ideological support in life, self-doubt . The lack of internal personal convictions and sufficient knowledge does not allow the fanatic to think critically and convinces him of the correctness of any, even the most mythical ideas.
- Addiction proneness.
- Belonging to one of the character accentuations according to K. Leonhard : demonstrative, dysthymic, excitable and stuck.
In addition, the world surrounding the future fanatic seems hostile to him, and the fanatic himself believes in personal responsibility to the world for changing it for the better.
How to get rid of fanaticism?
How do you know if a person is a fanatic or not? If he is truly capable of harming a person for his faith, he is clearly a fanatic.
To prevent fanaticism and get rid of this character trait, you will need to develop tolerance, culture of mind and intelligence, and respect for the other person.
But more often than not, it is simply impossible to independently convince a fanatic of his danger to society and his abnormality. This requires the help of a qualified psychotherapist. But even he cannot guarantee 100% success. To get rid of fanaticism you need full treatment and rehabilitation. In some cases, isolation from society will be required.
When treating, the most important point is the desire of the person himself to stop being a fanatic and to realize his problem. Only in this case there is a chance of success.
Before visiting a psychotherapist, loved ones of a fanatic can try:
- Develop his critical thinking, increase his perception of life, open to him scientific literature, which refutes the social value of the idea pursued by the fanatic. The emphasis needs to be on the destructive power of blind faith;
- Help the fanatic understand what his core fear is that has caused him to believe blindly. Fear is the main feeling of every fanatical person. Any of them experiences fear of the world, of themselves, of the leader, etc.
Cult worship seems to be comparable to psychological addiction. They have an almost identical mechanism of development and elimination, and the same recommendations. Before starting therapy, it is necessary to isolate the fanatic from the cult and supporters. At this moment he will begin to experience a kind of withdrawal. A close person must always be with him.
Like a fanatic argues
One of the main manifestations of fanatical behavior is the need to instill one’s ideology on others. At the same time, persuasion is not built on the principle of dialogue or argument. In a dispute, it is important to critically evaluate judgments and to be able to convey and perceive someone else’s point of view. A dispute with a fanatic follows the principle of a one-goal game: he can convey his thoughts to his interlocutor, but his interlocutor cannot.
A fanatic does not have logical arguments in his arsenal; he will prove his dogmas through other dogmas and refer to sources that cannot be verified. They often do not avoid the use of intimidation, force and personalization. A fanatic will not miss an opportunity to denigrate a point of view that contradicts his faith.
