Hysteria

Before I came to Indonesia I spent a lot of time renting and watching movies. One of the movies I watched was called In Search of Ourselves.

It’s about the evolution of psychology.

I’m thinking about it tonight because I just got finished watching All Quiet on the Western Front.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Quiet_on_the_Western_Front_(1930_film)

Solid film, really incredible in the way it’s heavy handed and elegant at the same time. Great final sequence, and the faces are fabulous!

Seems exotic actually, dramatic yet not manipulative in the ways that we’re used to movies being nowadays. The actors weren’t afraid to be corny, and it works. It’s clean and powerful. Complete without going low.-- in the trenches but not in the toilet.

I saw online that they’re making a new version of it with the actor who played Harry Potter.

“Daniel Radcliffe in a New Adaptation”
http://www.boffo.com/2010/06/daniel-radcliffe-to-star-in-all-quiet-on-the-western-front.html

I wonder what it will be like. Hopefully as powerful.

There are some scenes in the movie where the men are in the trenches and the bombs keep pounding and pounding. Some of the men start shaking and going crazy. This really happened actually they called it. . .

Male Hysteria aka Shell Shock

“History of the Hysterical Man”
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/History-Of-The-Hysterical-Man.html?c=y&page=1

At the time people thought hysteria only afflicted women. They couldn’t believe that men could snap too. Gender role crisis ensued for a spell until they named the male affliction “shell shock” and everyone felt better about it. Shell shock gives the feeling of patriotism and serving your country, whereas hysteria gives the feeling of just plain weakness.

I mean. . .I had an acquaintance who enjoyed calling me hysterical any time the opportunity arose. It was “all in good fun “of course but did hurt my feelings a bit after the umpteenth time. Truth be told, I got a slight complex about it. Not a cold sweat complex, but a little twitch complex.

I too would have felt much better if I were called “shell shocked” instead of hysterical. “Hey Tuesday, there you go begin shell-shocked again!” Yes, much better.

Here’s a link to a timeline about the evolution of inquiry into human behavior. Have a look. . .

“Then and Now Human Behavior”
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/thenandnow/humbeh.html