人們害怕小丑的10個心理因素(下)

5. Popular Culture

5. 文化流行趨勢變化

Human beings have two types of fear: innate fear and learned fear. An example of an innate fear would be the fear of heights. Many of us experience overwhelming fear when standing on the edge of a cliff or visiting a tall building. Fear is a normal part of our survival instincts.

人類的恐懼可以分爲兩種，一種是先天性恐懼，一種是習得性恐懼。恐高就是一種先天性恐懼——很多人站在懸崖邊上或者站在很高的建築物上時會感到一種難以克服的恐懼。在某種程度上來說，恐懼是人類的生存本能。

A perfect example of the learned fear that clowns may have murderous intent would be John Wayne Gacy. He was a serial killer who dressed up like a clown in his spare time. His story was fuel for nightmares, inspiring coulrophobia in people who may not have had it before.

而對於小丑的習得性恐懼（比如認爲小丑有謀殺傾向）也許來源於約翰·維恩·加西——在空餘時間扮成小丑的一個連環殺手。他的故事引發了嚴重的後果——當時對小丑的恐懼達到了空前的程度。

In the years following his crimes, clowns became major characters in horror movies. Watching Stephen King's It or Poltergeist can be enough to make most people afraid of clowns.

在他犯罪之後的幾年間，小丑變成了恐怖電影中的重要元素，史蒂芬·金的電影《它》或者《鬼驅人》就足以讓人們害怕小丑。

In popular culture, this fear of clowns is not new, however. Joseph Grimaldi, one of the original famous clowns, died of alcoholism. Charles Dickens was in charge of editing Grimaldi's memoirs and painted a dark picture of Grimaldi. Dickens included this Grimaldi quote in the book: "I am grim all day, and yet I make you laugh all night."

然而，對小丑的恐懼並不是什麼新鮮事物。著名的小丑約瑟夫·格里馬爾迪死於酗酒後，查理斯·狄更斯負責編纂他的回憶錄，並且爲他畫了一幅像，在回憶錄中，他引用了格里馬爾迪的一句話：“我整日冷漠墮落，卻每晚逗人發笑。”

This was perhaps one of society's first glimpses into the hidden darkness behind the happy makeup of the clown. English professor Andrew McConnell Stott credits Dickens for igniting the spark of fear in society that clowns are not what they appear to be.

這也許是人們第一次看到小丑開心的假面背後隱藏的黑暗。英語語言教授安德魯·康奈爾·斯托特認爲是狄更斯直接導致人們害怕小丑並未以真面目示人。

4. Childhood Trauma

4. 童年陰影

In a documentary filmed by National Geographic, a woman who suffered a childhood trauma involving clowns openly screams and cries in fear when she sees them. She is even revolted by the toys and images of clowns to which she is exposed as part of her therapy. Once the psychologist brings a clown to the office, the terrified woman can barely keep it together.

在國家地理拍攝的一部紀錄片中，一位曾經對小丑有童年陰影的女士一看到小丑就會尖叫哭泣，原本心理醫生打算用小丑的玩具和圖片來對她進行治療，但只要醫生一把這些東西帶進治療室，她就會恐懼不已，十分抗拒。

In an article from Psychology Today, one woman recounts the traumatic experience of becoming a volunteer on the Bozo the Clown TV show when she was a child in the 1960s. She was forced to sit on his lap and see up close that he was frowning despite his painted smile. He also smelled like alcohol.

在《今日心理學》中，一位女士回憶起了她幼年時關於小丑的黑暗經歷——20世紀60年代，她作爲志願者參加了電視節目《馬戲團丑角》，在節目中她被要求坐在小丑的腿上，由於離得很近，她看到了小丑畫着的笑臉後皺着的眉頭，還聞到了一股酒氣。

She panicked and vomited all over Bozo, who started cursing. The illusion of the happy clown was shattered, and the experience has traumatized her ever since. It is likely that many other people with a serious case of coulrophobia had similar traumatic experiences at a circus or birthday party that led to their fear of clowns.

在整個節目過程中，她對小丑感到十分恐懼和噁心，頭腦中那個開心的小丑消失了，從那以後，這個童年的陰影一直揮之不去。患有嚴重的小丑恐懼症的人中也許很多人都和童年的陰影有關，這些童年陰影可能產生於馬戲表演，也可能產生於生日派對。

3. Inferiority And Superiority Complexes

3. 自卑與優越情結

Throughout history, part of a clown's purpose was to help with the spectator's self-esteem. Court jesters (aka "fools") were meant to be laughed at for being so stupid, and clowns are often the same.

誠然，在歷史中，小丑的部分使命在於幫助觀衆建立自信。貴族家庭中的小丑就是通過扮蠢來引人發笑的，現在的小丑也多是如此。

In a study by the Theodora Foundation, the researchers traveled with clowns to pediatric hospitals in Ontario, Canada. In their findings, the researchers mentioned that children may feel better about themselves if they can laugh at someone else for being silly or stupid. This gives terminally ill children a desperately needed ego boost.

在泰奧多拉基金會的一項研究中，研究人員和小丑們一起前往加拿大安大略湖的一個兒童醫院進行研究，他們發現，如果孩子們可以嘲笑別人犯傻或者愚蠢的行爲的話會覺得好受些，這種方式滿足了身患絕症的孩子們建立自信的迫切需求。

However, this type of humor may not be the best for the average person. According to Psychology Today, people who act superior toward others are actually very insecure and are seeking reassurance from others to feel good about themselves. According to Greater Good, a University of California, Berkeley, publication, happy people do not feel the need to be superior to others.

但是，這樣的方式並不適合普通人。據《今日心理學》的說法，往往只有自覺高人一等的人才會缺乏安全感，並需要從別人那裏獲取自我認同。加州大學伯克利分校出版的期刊《至善》也稱，幸福的人不需要到處展示自己的優越感。

In short, the average person with a fair amount of happiness and self-esteem does not seek to laugh at someone like a clown. Since many people do not want or need that kind of laughter in their lives, it feels uncomfortable to be around a clown who is trying to force it upon you.

總之，幸福水平中等的、自尊自信的普通人並不需要嘲笑別人包括小丑來取樂。因爲很多人並沒有這種需求，看小丑表演，被“強迫”笑出聲，往往會讓人覺得很不舒服。

2. They Just Aren't Funny Anymore

2. 小丑再也不好笑了

Throughout time, popular comedy has changed depending on current events and a natural evolution of cultural taste. For example, if we see a clown falling on a banana peel or hitting their friend over the head with a giant hammer, this would be an example of physical, or "slapstick," comedy. However, slapstick has not been popular for some time because society has too much sympathy for the pain of other human beings.

隨着時間流逝，當前的情況和大衆的口味也在發生變化，流行喜劇也隨時改變。一個小丑踩香蕉皮滑倒了，或者拿着大錘子錘他的朋友，這些都是低俗喜劇的代表。但是隨着人們對他人痛苦的共情能力的提高，這些低俗喜劇都不再受歡迎了。

Our discomfort with clowns could partially be attributed to cultural changes in what we find funny. In an interview with NPR, Linda Rodriguez McRobbie mentions that people were wary of clowns for years. Then, in the 1960s, clowns had a sudden rise in popularity with characters like Ronald McDonald and Bozo the Clown. McRobbie believes that their popularity was simply a fad and that society is back to its normal state, which is to see clowns as creepy rather than funny.

我們對小丑感到不適可以部分歸因於我們對“什麼是有趣”這一感知上的變化。琳達·麥克羅比·羅德里格斯在對美國國家電視臺的採訪中提及，人們對小丑的恐懼已經存在多年了。雖然在20世紀60年代，隨着麥當勞和電視節目《馬戲團丑角》的流行，小丑的流行程度明顯提高，但是麥克羅比認爲他們的流行只是一種簡單的潮流而已——如今，這個社會正在退回它的本來狀態，實際上，小丑在人們眼中不是風趣幽默，而是驚悚駭人。

Children and adults alike may become confused and uncomfortable when they are expected to laugh at something they simply do not find to be funny. It is common for people, especially children, to feel social anxiety and fear in situations where they are not sure how to react.

當小孩和大人們在面對自己覺得無趣的東西卻要擠出笑聲的時候都會感覺困惑不適。在手足無措的情況下覺得焦慮恐懼是人之常情，這種情況在小孩身上尤爲明顯。

1. Freud's Uncanny Theory

1. 福瑞德的“暗恐”理論

In his 1919 publication "The Uncanny," the world-famous psychologist Sigmund Freud explains that we can be frightened by something that is familiar and yet unfamiliar at the same time. Using the hypothetical example of a human being with a severed head or limbs, Freud says that we will immediately focus on the body parts that are different instead of the ones that are still intact.

在1919年，著名的心理學家西格蒙德·弗洛伊德在其發表的《暗恐》一文中指出，我們會因爲熟悉事物中存在的異常之處而倍感恐懼：假設我們看到一個被截肢的人，我們往往會看到他與正常人的不同之處，而不會是相同的部分。

A real-life example is how many children are frightened when they see an amputee because they cannot understand why the person's legs are gone. It also makes many adults feel sad or uncomfortable for a variety of reasons.

一個現實生活中的例子就是很多小孩在看到被截肢的人會害怕，因爲他們無法理解爲什麼那些人會少了胳膊，或者少了腿，而成年人看到了，也會因爲這樣那樣的理由覺得難過或者不適。

Harvard professor Steven C. Schlozman elaborates on the "uncanny" theory in comparison to clowns. He explains that a clown has similar features to a human being—a mouth, a nose, ears, hands, feet, and hair. However, a clown's body parts are enlarged or exaggerated—giant shoes, abnormally large lips painted on a white face, and a huge, red nose. Just like the example with the amputee, people notice the differences in other human beings much more easily than the similarities and that can cause fear and discomfort.

哈佛的史蒂芬·斯庫羅茨曼教授詳細地闡述了“暗恐”理論在小丑恐懼症上的表現：小丑和人一樣，有嘴巴、鼻子、耳朵、手腳、頭髮，但是身體部分卻比較誇張——巨大的鞋子，異常的嘴脣、慘白的臉、又大又紅的鼻子，就像人們只看到被截肢的人不同常人的地方一樣，人們也跟容易注意到小丑異於常人的地方，這些異常造成了他們的恐懼和不適。