Still creating hysteria – Happy 75th!

by Ruth Thompson on Jan.14, 2010, under Behaviour, Cause & Effect, Human Nature

Ever been in an environment which has influenced your behaviour?  Gotten carried away with the crowd?  Elvis who would have celebrated his 75th birthday last Friday, 8th January certainly witnessed those that were influenced and mos certainly did get carried away!

In the 1950’s frenzied and fevered were words frequently used to describe the groups of people (mainly women) who went to watch Elvis sing…. and of course gyrate his hips.  Scenes of hysteria and complete abandon were common place.  When Elvis walked on stage, women screamed, fainted, cried, shrieked and wet their pants.  The result was often so hysterical that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the National Guard, State Police and the City Police couldn’t contain those involved.  On a number of occasions Elvis had to stop the show!

Think it was hysteria?

The emotional attachment to Elvis is so strong that 30 years after his death, the sale of iconic images related to the King increases each year.  At Elvis’ home in Graceland, millions of ‘pilgrims’ (mostly female and middle aged) go to Locus Sanctus, the holy place, to mourn his death, lay wreaths and hold vigils.  In fact the behaviour in relation to his memory is such that two woman have founded the "Church of the Risen Elvis".  One of the women saying that images of Elvis "…have transcended the representational and move to the sacred".  Before his death, women even brought their sick children to his concerts in the hope that he would touch them and be healed.

Why is this?  Seems a bit extreme?

From the very beginning , the phenomenon of Elvis broke through the boundaries of ordinary fan adoration and lead the way to the "Beatlemania" which would hit America later.  Elvis’ blood and urine was stolen and sold with tales of how young women desperately wanted to inject the blood of their hero in to their own veins, women moving country just to tend to his grave or carving his name into their skin with penknives.  These behaviour are not normal reactions to singers or even fame, they move quite clearly across to myth and rituals.

Elvis was at the forefront of many controversial debates regarding teenage behaviour and rock and roll.  He was regarded by some as the blame for juvenile delinquency and the corruption of youth.  Perhaps when the behaviour of his audiences were witnessed by those not within the Elvis fan group, it can be understood (though this understanding does not mean that they were right).  The frenzied behaviour became more and more common and increasingly violent.  Did you know that Elvis received death threats and rampaging crowds often turned into riots?

Some psychologists believe that Elvis provided a rite of passage for girls into womanhood.  The sexual frenzy that Elvis created (we all know how conservative America reacted to his hips movements) provided an outlet that wasn’t previously available especially to women.  The fantasized relationship with Elvis taught them about their sexual liberty.  Add to that the way people behave when in groups….mob rule…heightened excitement…attention grabbing…screaming…  and the pieces of Elvis hysteria becomes more clear.

The group or social hysteria related to Elvis is similar in many ways to the Salem witch trials.  The groups’ behaviour was extreme and as it became more so…it became a vicious circle.  In a Elvis concert with screaming fans, you’d describe the atmosphere as ‘electric’…you’d get caught up in it.  Even if you weren’t caught up in it you probably wouldn’t want ot admit that you didn’t agree.

More recently, the invasion of Iraq had elements of social hysteria.   The 9/11 event created a fear and elevated Saddam Hussein to a witch-like mythical figure who was about to ‘press the button’ on the West.   No one (or few) questioned whether this was realistic…and many didn’t question because it would not have been welcomed.  Imagine the reaction if you questioned how evil you thought Iraq was.   Look back now – was it a sort of social hysteria?

In truth hysteria is a result of human psychology, local events, religious beliefs, economic and social situation and the political situation.   Take a moment to think how popular Elvis would have been without the outcry from those with conservative religious beliefs…or if sexual liberation for women had already happened….

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2 Comments for this entry

  • Old Sod
    August 25th, 2010 on 8:08 pm

    I truly enjoyed this analysis. I’ve always been fascinated by the reactions of adoring fans to overhyped stars, but I am particularly struck by the utter frenzy sometimes induced in females by their object of affection. Not that males don’t exhibit crazy behaviour when exposed to stars, but the deafening shrieking, the fainting, the riots, etc.: these actions have always fascinated and bewildered me.

    The ways in which music and the rockstars that sell it contribute to identity-formation in young people is also fascinating. I feel that to – on one hand – dismiss the power of music to influence behaviour, or, on the other hand, to blame music for the “corruption” of the youth are both somewhat extreme and narrow views. Yet, there is at least a grain of truth lurking in each of these notions.

    I would like to add, however, that even today, when presumably “women” are comfortable with their sexually liberated status, female fans (mostly young girls) do still exhibit such behaviours. I am curious as to your views on this.

    Cheers

  • Ruth Thompson
    August 26th, 2010 on 4:18 pm

    Thanks for taking the time to comment. I, like you, feel that we cannot neither ‘dismiss’ nor ‘blame’ music and the rockstars that create and/or sell it. The extreme of any viewpoint is quite often the easiest to argue against, as I believe most things in life are neither black or white but grey. Of course the young (and indeed the older) are influenced by what they see and hear from the world….but it would be neglectful of us not to mention that there is influence in the other direction as well. Hence why the music of today differs somewhat to the music of yesteryear… other aspects of our culture have impacted it (and us).

    As for why young girls still scream…my own personal opinion is that young people (though the sexualisation is more noticeable in females – partly because girls are treated very differently to boys when sex is mentioned, think of how a parent might find it easier to say Yes to a boy attending a late night ‘happening’ than they do with a girl) will always require a ‘right of passage’ and becoming overwrought to a singer shaking their hips (or showing their six-pack!) is certainly one way this happens. A girl may always remember her first ‘love’….even if that person is as remote as ‘elvis’ or ‘donny osmond’….today perhaps that ‘justin’ fella that is 16 years old (sorry my own age showing through there!).

    So, although ‘women’ are more comfortable with their sexually liberated status (though the argument remains that sexual equality has still not been obtained) they have still to transform to ‘woman’ from ‘girl’……and discovering their own sexual feelings and emotions is a large aprt of that….whatever way that is achieved…

    Thanks again for the comment, I enjoyed your remarks :-)

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