Juanita is sitting on an airplane and hears another passenger throwing up.The flight attendant asks the passenger if he often gets motion sickness,and he says no.Soon afterwards,Juanita hears another passenger in another part of the plane throwing up,and someone elsewhere coughing.She starts to notice that her stomach is feeling a bit upset.This could be an example of

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This scenario fits the description of mass psychogenic illness, where individuals start experiencing physical symptoms due to a collective belief that they are sick or in danger, rather than due to any actual physical illness. The fact that the first passenger who threw up did not have motion sickness but others still started feeling sick suggests that the symptoms are psychogenic rather than organic. This can also be an example of a stress response to a potentially threatening situation, such as being on a flight where there is a risk of infection.

Juanita Is Sitting on an Airplane and Hears Another Passenger