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Journal of Parapsychology,
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Thomson Gale on
September 22, 2005. The length of the article is 12505 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
From the author: Paranormal beliefs and experiences are associated with certain personality factors, including absorption, fantasy proneness, and the Myers-Briggs intuition and feeling personality dimensions. Skepticism appears to be associated with materialistic, rational, pragmatic personality types. Attitude toward psi may also be influenced by motivations to have control and efficacy, to have a sense of meaning and purpose in life, to be connected with others, to have transcendent experiences, to have self-worth, to feel superior to others, and to be healed. The efforts to obtain reliable control of psi in experimental parapsychology have not been successful. Given the lack of control and lack of practical application of psi, it is not surprising that those who are by disposition materialistic and pragmatic find the evidence for psi to be unconvincing. When psi experiences have been examined without a bias for control, the primary effect has been found to be enhanced meaning in life and spirituality, similar to mystical experiences. Tensions among those with mystical, authoritarian, and scientific dispositions have been common in the history of paranormal and religions beliefs. Scientific research can do much to create better understanding among people with different dispositions. Understanding the motivations related to paranormal beliefs is a prerequisite for addressing questions about when and if psi actually occurs.
Citation DetailsTitle: Personality and motivations to believe, misbelieve, and disbelieve in paranormal phenomena.(Viewpoint essay)
Author: J.E. Kennedy
Publication:The Journal of Parapsychology (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 22, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 69
Issue: 2
Page: 263(30)
Article Type: Viewpoint essay
Distributed by Thomson Gale.
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