FUNCTIONS OF PARANORMAL AND RELATED BELIEFS
(Why do so many believe)
AO1
 Baumeister suggests we need a sense of meaning in life which religion or belief in paranormal can provide. Science cannot provide a sense of purpose or self worth.
Important function in mental health, not met by secular materialism – Schumaker a) Evolutionary approach – belief in psi extends across all cultures which suggests it is innate and has evolved for an adaptive purpose. It may help individuals stop worrying and be more productive in everyday lives increasing reproductive success. Religion, belief in psi etc are interrelated. Bishop Spong – religion bolsters deeply insecure anf fearful people. Hood suggests behaviour adaptive in childhood, better to accept explanations in order to avoid dangerous situations, more dangerous to ignore real danger than accept fairy stories, as society became more complex it led to religious beliefs, adults also believe what told by people with special powers. b) Psychodynamic explanations Paranormal – beliefs act as a defence mechanism used by anxious individuals to overcome perceived uncertainty and be able to exert control over their lives. Childhood experiences e.g. parental divorce create a need for greater control. Watt found significant association between childhood experiences and tendency to hold paranormal beliefs. Abuse in childhood might lead to fantasy proneness supported by French and Kerman. c) Related beliefs – Freud believed religion is a response to deep emotional conflicts.
Rituals allow us to feel sense of control over unconscious conflicts. d) Development of human intellect – people asked questions e.g. why do we die, why lightning, in pre science society and even today we want answers . science cannot answer them all, religion can. e) Belief in spiritual healing maybe adaptive – the placebo effect – strengthening the persons ability to fight off infection. f) Social marginality hypothesis – Bainbridge – more likely among socially marginalised groups as a way of compensating for shortcomings in their lives. BUT stronger in young adults than older and women than men (are they marginalised) in some areas of belief e.g. women more likely to believe in ESP men in Loch Ness monster and UFO’s (men expected to take greater interest in science) Emmons and
Shobal found unemployed had low levels of belief – so little support for theory.

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Cultural Significance – actual form of belief varies across cultures i.e. related to social and cultural factors – adaptive significance could be; a) Bloch – ability to imagine things that don’t physically exist led to development of
‘transcendental social’ which unites people i.e. creates cultural groups. He believes it appeared about 100 000 years ago at similar time as art and lasting burials – suggesting belief in after life. b) Social bonding and group behaviour – other psychologist believe religion is significant for cultural groups in terms of social bonding and resulting group behaviour. Wilson – religious behaviours evolved and continue because it links humans into coherent, successful groups – giving competitive edge over other groups. Maybe why women more likely to believe in psi – greater sense of world being interconnected c) Morality – religion important in maintaining moral behaviour. d) Karl Marx – religion is the opium of the people i.e. a social institution created to maintain a culture e) Donald – mind and culture evolved together, mind became plastic in order to adapt to diversity of life. Beliefs provide a framework for experiencing life.
AO2
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Evolutionary approach – ignores the possibility that the abilities actually exist and evolved as they gave the individual an advantage, but if this was true the ability should have increased over history and anomalous experiences should be associated with positive benefits. There are more negative than positive experiences, so it appears the ‘belief’ is adaptive not the ability.
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Psychodynamic Support for idea of ‘need for control’ e.g. in Gulf war – Israel attacked by Iraq missiles – rise in superstitious belief – Henderson. Wiseman and Watt – wrong to think of paranormal belief as abnormal – some are positive e.g. good luck charms.
Some evidence linking belief with childhood trauma Irwin – found function of belief was to create a sense of control over social world. Study used questionnaires so accuracy e.g. of reports of childhood trauma many years previously is open to question. Alternative explanation – Wright – childhood trauma led to disengagement from immediate world thus becoming more sensitive to psychic phenomena.
 Related beliefs – not all studies show correlation between paranormal belief and religiosity maybe because some aspects form no part of religion e.g. UFO’s, so scales wouldn’t necessarily correlate. Not reasonable to assume both kinds of belief perform the same function though may have some functions in common.

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Science (rational and evidence based) often seen as antithesis of religion (irrational depending on faith). Bur science is similar as something people believe in. Confusion between concepts of ‘belief’ and ‘faith’
 Is religion adaptive – Bloch and Wilson – people who are religious have greater self control and better physical and mental health. But – Dennettt – argues not directly adaptive, but a by-product of other mental faculties that have been selected e.g.
Theory of Mind- allowing deception of others.
 Cultural significance – evolution suggests adaptive genes of individual are selected not genes good for a group. But Wilson and Wilson showed natural selection takes place at all levels i.e. behaviour adaptive for a group will be selected.
 Otis and Kuo – found higher level of global paranormal belief among uni students in
Singapore than in Canada. Others – students in Finland higher scores for extraordinary life forms than American students but lower for traditional religious concepts, suggesting level of belief is a function of persons cultural environment.
 See Indian Rope Trick