Belief in the paranormal and subjective paranormal experience

Abstract

The underlying experiential base for belief in the paranormal is the focus of the present three studies, employing students ( N = 72), schoolchildren ( N = 20) and a select group of subjects interested in the paranormal ( N = 33). A survey questionnaire tapping the incidence of occurrence of various types of subjective experience, and in particular the hypnagogic state, the hypnopompic state, the state of lucid dreaming and the out-of-the-body experience was one measure. A second concerned paranormal experience and paranormal belief. The Sensation Seeking Scale, Form IV (Zuckerman, 1979) and the Absorption Scale (Tellegen, 1982) were also employed. As hypothesized, degree of paranormal belief was positively correlated with subjective paranormal experience, and the latter was positively correlated with frequency of incidence of at least one altered state of consciousness (ASC) and with degree of absorption. Implications were drawn regarding the etiology of paranormal belief, and extended with reference to delusionary belief systems in pathological ASCs.