“Most connections in the world are not relationships, they are participation mystique. One is then apparently connected, but of course it is never a real connection, it is never a relationship.”
– C G Jung
”In a situation of participation mystique, the locus of the guiding will and consciousness is, in a way, outside and separate from the individual members of the group. Like a colony of ants or bees, each member is directed at an unconscious level by patterns of behavior that flow from the organizing structure of the colony itself, rather than the individuality of its members. In fact, in participation mystique each member becomes like an appendage, or cell, to the larger body of the group. This can create a mystical high for those who participate in it (hence the name). However, participation mystique is also the underlying mechanism of mob psychology. Its overall result is a decrease in the level of consciousness and autonomy among the group members. The individual’s perspective is suspended in favor of a group consciousness (or lack of consciousness, to be more exact).”