The Psychic Crisis Theory of the Salem Witch Trials essays

The Psychic Crisis Theory of the Salem Witch Trials essays Psycho-history lends insight into the possible states of mind of individuals. Historians have attempted to use psychological and sociological theories to explain historical events and show how the human psyche creates historical crises. The psychic crisis theory of the Salem witchcraft hysteria can explain several aspects of the witch trials because historical fact alone may not be able to completely account for the underlying reasons for the persecutions. As such, the psychic crisis theory is a reasonable extension of a more meat and potatoes history, which readily takes into account issues such as religiosity, social norms, trends, and politics. Just as it may be reasonable to assume that Van Gogh suffered from a mental illness in addition to epilepsy, it may also be reasonable for historians to assume that the hysteria over witchcraft stemmed from a psycho-social crisis. The behaviors of both the accused and the accusers may have been due to psychic crises: caused by social confli ct, psychological turmoil, or the ingestion of psychedelics. However, because it is largely speculative, psycho-history can never be as reliable as cold, hard facts. Calling witchcraft hysteria a psychic crisis infers too much about the root causes of the historical phenomenon. History should always be based on factual evidence in the same way science or law must also be based on hard evidence. At the same time, psycho-history can offer meaningful alternative perspectives on persons and events, filling in the gaps cold, hard facts cannot fill. Historians should feel free to speculate about the potential psychic causes of the witchcraft hysteria as well as about the states of mind of the individuals on both sides of the stake. In some cases, meat and potatoes facts can prove unreliable or misleading, which is why psycho-history should not be completely abandoned. Students of history also appreciate alternative perspectives that s...