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 to the average. == Types == •
Consumer fanaticism – the level of involvement or interest one has in the liking of a particular person, group, trend, artwork or idea •
Emotional fanaticism •
Ethnic or
racial supremacist fanaticism •
Leisure fanaticism – high levels of intensity, enthusiasm, commitment and zeal shown for a particular leisure activity •
Nationalistic or
patriotic fanaticism •
Political,
ideological fanaticism. •
Religious fanaticism – considered by some to be the most extreme form of
religious fundamentalism. Entail promoting religious point of views •
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 (Ex: Knight Krew), or because the person uses sports activities as an ultra-masculine "proving ground" for brawls, as in the case of
football hooliganism. == See also ==