Thoughts About the Witchcraft Accusers: Poisoned, Trauma, or Mean Girls?

Whether the "afflicted girls" of Salem and Andover were the 17th-century equivalent of "mean girls" is a subject of intense historical and psychological debate. While their actions led to the deaths of innocent people like Roger Toothaker, historians generally view their behavior through a lens more complex than simple malice.

The "Mean Girl" Argument: Power and Attention

Some historians and authors argue that these girls—mostly teenagers and young women like those who accused Abigail Faulkner—discovered a rare source of power in a society that usually silenced them.

• Social Dominance: In a rigid Puritan hierarchy, these girls suddenly held the power of life and death over community leaders and elders.

• Escapism: The "fits" and dramatic performances allowed them to break strict behavioral codes without punishment.

• Targeting Outcasts: They often targeted people who were already social outsiders, such as Mehitable Brabrooke, who was already known for "spiteful" behavior.

The "Victim" Argument: Clinical Explanations

Other scholars suggest the girls were not "mean" in a calculated sense, but were suffering from genuine psychological or environmental distress.

• Mass Hysteria (Conversion Disorder): This theory suggests the girls' symptoms were physical manifestations of extreme repressed trauma and religious fear.

• Ergot Poisoning: A famous (though widely debated) theory suggests they were suffering from hallucinations caused by eating rye bread contaminated with ergot fungus.

• PTSD: Many of the accusers were refugees from the brutal frontier wars with Native Americans (King William's War), and their "fits" may have been symptoms of untreated trauma.

For our ancestors, the "afflicted girls" were a terrifying reality.

• In Andover: The girls who accused Abigail Dane and her toddler, Abigail Faulkner, created a "contagion" of accusations that eventually forced figures like Rev. Francis Dane to stand up and demand a return to logic.

• In Boston: Their accusations led to the death of Roger Toothaker in prison, a man who, as a "natural healer," may have simply been a victim of their fear of the unknown.

While their behavior can certainly be seen as cruel, it is often characterized today as a tragic intersection of adolescent psychology, PTSD, and a legal system that failed to require objective evidence.