Fanaticism, from French fanatique or Latin fanaticus 'inspired by a god, frenzied' fanum 'temple' is an emotion of being filled with excessive, uncritical zeal, particularly for an extreme religious or political cause, or with an obsessive enthusiasm for a pastime or hobby.

According to philosopher George Santayana, "Fanaticism consists in redoubling your effort when you have forgotten your aim." (Life of Reason, 1905, vol. 1, Introduction)

The difference between a fan and a fanatic is that while both have an overwhelming liking or interest in a given subject, behaviour of a fanatic will be viewed as violating prevailing social norms, while that of a fan will not violate those norms (although is usually considered unusual).(Thorne&Bruner 2006)

Categories of fanaticism

• consumer fanaticism - the level of involvement or interest one has in the liking of a particular person, group, trend, artwork or idea
• religious fanaticism - the most extreme form of religious fundamentalism, which typical takes on violent, and potentially deadly dimensions

See also

• Enthusiasm
• Religious fanaticism

Reference

• Scott Thorne, Gordon C. Bruner, Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 2006, Volume: 9, Issue: 1, online

Emotion | Motivation

Fanatismus | Fanatisme | Fanatyzm | Fanatismo | Fanatism | Fanatism