FANATISM: WHY DO WE GET OVERLY ATTACHED?

Fanaticism can be associated with one's attachment style, what one experiences in the process of identity formation, and where one sees oneself in terms of social status. If we take a closer look, the attachment style that a person establishes from infancy affects his/her entire future. Therefore, we can find the answer to the question of why fanaticism occurs here. If we briefly recall attachment styles; secure attachment, insecure attachment, anxious attachment, avoidant attachment. Individuals with anxious attachment want to feel closeness and need approval. Since they are afraid of experiencing the feeling of abandonment, they may have defined themselves with their attachment to an ideology, a team, or a celebrity and put themselves at the center of their lives. Since individuals with avoidant attachment styles attach importance to emotional distance and control, they may be fanatical to a team or an ideology instead of people they can define as “safer”, in addition, individuals in search of external identity may define themselves through fanaticism. Individuals with an insecure attachment style, on the other hand, may seek a constant and always present attachment, as the bonds they establish are often inconsistent and contain a contradiction of fear and closeness, and may meet this with their dependence on a team, ideology, or a famous person. 

The search for identity, which can be considered as the second reason, may be driven by the need to feel belonging to a group or to identify with a person and to find common points with him/her and to have the idea that he/she can be inspired or change some part of his/her life. The need to feel belonging to a group is a very natural and universal need for human beings as social beings. A sense of belonging is important for a person to feel safe and powerful. However, as in all cases, if this sense of belonging is too strong, it can become fanaticism and occupy a large place in the center of that person's life. The search for identity is a process and is usually much more intense during adolescence.

The last reason I would like to mention is related to where the individual places himself/herself in the group in terms of social status. One of the indicators pointing to fanaticism is that the individual emphasizes group characteristics more than individuality when defining himself/herself. Excessive emphasis on “we” instead of “me” may push the individual to show exaggerated reactions and behaviors for the community to which he/she feels he/she belongs.

To summarize, fanaticism is a situation that occurs when an individual's search for belonging and attachment styles are overdone. Imbalances in attachment styles may lead the individual to develop excessive attachment. Every individual seeks a balance in their lives due to their human needs; it is normal that sometimes while trying to find this balance, we may lose the balance when we adopt some situations too much and put them at the center of our lives. However, the loss of this balance can have negative consequences in an individual's life. Fanaticism should not turn into extremes of physical or psychological violence, and a healthy sense of belonging should be maintained.