Evening star., 1940-06-04
Of Stars, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Field, Laboratory
And Study
By Thomas r. Henri.

Possibility of mass paranoia afflict-
ing the American people in the face of
the European disaster is voiced by DR..
Harry Stack Sullivan, noted New York
and Washington psychiatrist and presi-
dent of the William A. White Psychiatric
Foundation.
Paranoia, when it afflicts an individual,
Is considered the most dangerous and
intractable Of all diseases of the mind.
1t is marked chiefly by delusions that
one is being prosecuted and leads to
many murders. 1t is extremely difficult
to detect because in every other respect
the victim appears perfectly sane and
as result paranoiacs often remain at
large until they have killed their sup
posed enemies.
The general paranoid reaction, DR..
Sullivan said in an interview, is natural
result of the human organism to panic
and there are increasing signs that the
setting is being established in the United
States for mild but nonetheless terrible
epidemic which will confuse national
defense preparations and lead to much
needless suffering
I'VE hear a great DEAL" said DR.. Sui
nvan, "of war hysteria. Actually there
is no evidence of increasing hysteria in
the United States nor, so far as have
been able to learn, in Europe We must
define our words. Hysteria is a specific
syndrome-an overdramatized reaction
which accomplishes a purpose one does
not care to admit to others or even to
ones self. The so-called shell shock is
typical example. A soldier wants to
escape danger, but he cannot run away
without branding himself as coward.
So he developes paralysis of some sort
and has to be sent to hospital
This is not what we have to fear at
present. We are developing instead a
multitude of mild panics-chaotic, pur-
poseless mass reactions of terror which
accomplish no purpose to the advantage
OF the individual. The stage was set for
1t through the great depression. Mil
lions of individuals were overwhelmed
by sense of economic insecurity. Still
society kept its organization. The lives
OF individuals were not seriously threat
ened. There was a persistent faith that
the bad times would pass and Justice
would prevail in the end There have
been hystercal reactions, but no panic.
Such phenomenon as the amazing
growth of certain religious cults without
much basis in reason has been a hys-
terical reaction.
But the panic reaction did not set in
until recently. I first became alarmed
about 1t at the time of the Men of Mars
broadcast. The purposeless, irrational
chaotic fear that was reported hardly
would have resulted in normal times. It
showed that the seeds of panic had been
soWn IN the minds of the American peo-
pie. 1 am afraid it was only a sign Of
worse things to come unless something
is done at once, and it is up to the
psychiatrlsts of the country to devise
some program to forestall them"
Paranoia, DR.. Sullivan stressed. de-
velopes out of the panic state. There is
an unbearable feeling of insecurity. The
mind turns with hatred against this in
security and seeks to find cause for it.
The chances are that the cause, whether
assessed rightly or wrongly, is something
against which the individual Is helpless
In the present case, DR.. Sullivan pointed
out. 1t probably would be the German
Empire. Hate Of the German Empire is
rather futile, so far as any one person is
concerned, He cannot do anything about
1t. So the hate is narrowed down tn
something or somebody that can be made
symbol of the German Empire-such as
an individual German, a person with
German name, or anybody that the VIC
tim OF the paranoid delusion doesn't
like. The result is persecution and.
perhaps, murder. The paranoiac likes
to Kill two birds with one stone He can
satisfy his hate against Germany. and
thus relieve his panic, by hitting at
somebody he doesn't like whom he can
rationalize into an agent of Germany.
L am afraid" said DR.. Sullivan, that
we are going to have some terrible times
In this country. I am fully aware of
the danger of fifth column activities in
the United States. Perhaps it is worse
than it has ever been painted. But one
can do anything with words. With the
underlying state 70 incipient panic any,
body can be rationalized into fifth COL
umnist. If the authorities will not act
the self-deluded patriot will be inclined
to take the law into his own hands"
This, Dr. Sullivan fears may be only a
beginning
"Of course, can't speculate" he said.
ION the prospects of America getting
into the war. But do not think any,
body would deny that the present con-
flict in case Of German victory would
have very great economic and social
repercussions here. There may be a
long period of readjustment. The pros
poets OF preserving the kind of society
we want to preserve are none too good
II this generalized panic and the para
mold reactions resulting from it cannot
be prevented. We will have to cope with
an ever-accumulating confusion of IL
logical hatreds."
individual paranoia, which carries its
victim to the extremes of murder, DR..
Sullivan said, usually results from some
insecurity within the persona feeling
OF helplessness to cope with various
~ nSNI Lei,