Like many words in the English language, "hysteria" has more than one definition. For the purposes of this discussion, I define hysteria as a state of temporary insanity which causes people to exhibit bizarre behaviors that are inconsistent with their usual conduct. Mass hysteria is just a bunch of people becoming hysterical at once. Once initiated, hysteria sweeps through the crowd like wildfire. Of course all crowds do not become hysterical so, in the ones that do, something must happen that sets them off. It is not necessary for all the participants to be aware of this triggering event, once mass hysteria gets started it takes on a life of its own. It is possible for someone who knows how to deliberately work a crowd up to the point of hysteria. This is called "inciting a riot", and is illegal in most jurisdictions in the civilized world. I think these inciters are the "instigators" to which Uncle Ken referred. They may be trying to advance an agenda or they might just get a kick out of causing trouble.
Mass hysteria is only one of the factors that may be at work when a peaceful demonstration turns violent. There are the "hijackers", people who see the gathering as an opportunity to advance an agenda of their own, be it political or personal. I think most of the looters fall into this category. Then there are the thrill seekers, people who are drawn to the gathering the same way that "firebugs" are drawn to a fire. Throw in some curiosity seekers and/or counter protesters, and you have a recipe for disaster. The more people you have in a crowd, the harder it becomes for the original organizers to maintain control. This is why I previously said that I would not attend a protest demonstration if Jesus Christ Himself was leading it.
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