collective effervescence

is emotional excitement or delirium released in the wake of society level events (i.e. 9/11 or a school shooting) as individuals comes together to communicate the same thoughts and actions.

Emile Durkheim coined this term to refer to society level events (i.e. 9/11 or a school shooting) whereby a group of individuals comes together to communicate the same thoughts and actions. In such instances, 'a certain 'electricity' is created and released, leading participants to a high degree of collective emotional excitement or delirium. This impersonal, extra-individual force, which is a core element of religion, transports the individuals into a new, ideal realm, lifts them up outside of themselves, and makes them feel as if they are in contact with an extraordinary energy' (http://www.iep.utm.edu/durkheim/).

collective effervescence, n.All

collective effervescence