for a pastime or hobby. Philosopher George Santayana defines fanaticism as "redoubling

your effort when you have forgotten your aim"; according to Winston Churchill, "A fanatic

is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject". By either description

the fanatic displays very strict standards and little tolerance for contrary ideas or

opinions. In his book Crazy Talk, Stupid Talk, Neil

Postman states that "the key to all fanatical beliefs is that they are self-confirming....(some

beliefs are) fanatical not because they are 'false', but because they are expressed in

such a way that they can never be shown to be false."

The behavior of a fan with overwhelming enthusiasm for a given subject is differentiated from

the behavior of a fanatic by the fanatic's violation of prevailing social norms. Though

the fan's behavior may be judged as odd or eccentric, it does not violate such norms.

A fanatic differs from a crank, in that a crank is defined as a person who holds a position

or opinion which is so far from the norm as to appear ludicrous and/or probably wrong,

such as a belief in a Flat Earth. In contrast, the subject of the fanatic's obsession may

be "normal", such as an interest in religion or politics, except that the scale of the

person's involvement, devotion, or obsession with the activity or cause is abnormal or

disproportionate.

Categories Consumer fanaticism - the level of involvement

or interest one has in the liking of a particular person, group, trend, artwork or idea.

Emotional fanaticism. Limerence - Obsessive and addictive psychological

tendencies towards the object of an individual's affections.

Ethnic or racial supremacist fanaticism. Nationalistic or patriotic fanaticism.

Political, ideological fanaticism. Leisure fanaticism - high levels of intensity,

enthusiasm, commitment and zeal shown for a particular leisure activity.

Religious fanaticism - considered by some to be the most extreme form of religious fundamentalism.

Entail promoting religious views. Anti-Religious fanaticism - sometimes considered

part of religious fanaticism.

Sports fanaticism - high levels of intensity surrounding sporting events. This is either

done based on the belief that extreme fanaticism can alter games for one's favorite team, or

because the person uses sports activities as an ultra-masculine "proving ground" for

brawls, as in the case of football hooliganism. See also

Antifanaticism: A Tale of the South Enthusiasm

Extremism Fanboy

Fixation Obsession

Religious fanaticism Zealotry

References

Further reading Haynal, A., Molnar, M. and de Puymege, G.

Fanaticism. A Historical and Psychoanalytical Study. Schoken Books. New York, 1987

Rudin, J.Fanaticism. A psychological Analysis. University of Notre Dame Press. London, 1969.

Collins, Jack. "Real Times". University

of Santa Barbara. California. 1993. Беляев, И.А. Религиозный

фанатизм как иллюзорная компенсация недостаточности

духовно-душевных составляющих целостного мироотношения

/ И.А. Беляев Вестник Челябинской государственной академии

культуры и искусств. — 2011. — № 4.— С. 68-71.