Paranormal Belief and Personality Traits
The application of paranormal Belief Scale has recently increased popularity in determination of personality traits. However, it has come under criticism over its statistical methodology as well as conceptual front beliefs on paranormal claims which have caused a decreased application in social institution. The paranormal phenomenon is based on the culture of people. For instance, there are people who believe in extrasensory perception, astrology, witchcraft, and even scientific beliefs.
In each case individual members may believe or fail to believe in a given aspect depending on their paranormal beliefs. Therefore, current research has been carried out with an aim of looking for the relationship between the paranormal belief and the personality traits that exhibit themselves in the normal functioning of the individual in a wide variety of situations (Auton, Pope & Seager, 2003). In this case, the paranormal belief and personality traits have shown a correlation. However, paranormal characteristics have been taken in a skeptical way.
This is on the ground that paranormal believers are taken to be psychotic, neurotic and depressive. Research on the paranormal beliefs has isolated two contrasting ideas in this field. There is a belief that paranormal is indicative of psychological. Other people have disagreed with this idea and they suggest that such beliefs are not an indicator of psychopathology. From research, the assessment of personality in an individual could be considered as either high or low in psychology belief.
According to this research, there are discrepancies arising from tolerance of ambiguity and paranormal beliefs. Low tolerance of ambiguity is associated with paranormal beliefs and is associated with a fear of paranormal behaviors. The cognitive structure measures tolerance of ambiguity and it differentiates between high and low believers. Therefore, paranormal belief cannot be taken as an indicator of psychopathology because it examines the overall personality of a high believer. Future research in the paranormal is highly welcome as it can shed some more light on this behavior.
More so if it will focus on the social environments of paranormal believers and non believers. Previous research involving the paranormal has used psychopathology scales in order to determine possible personality by correlating beliefs to the acts of paranormal (Kelly, 2004). In the same note, current studies have addressed the relationship between belief in the paranormal and those personalities. In this case a relationship between authoritarianism and belief in the paranormal when using the authoritarian rebellion scale has been drawn.
In the utility of the assessment measures concerning the paranormal beliefs, research has shown that there are significant measures of personality and paranormal beliefs. However, the measure of personality is not an indicator of psychopathology. According to the utility of measures as done by the researches, the two commonly used measures of paranormal belief were significantly corrected. In this case, high believers scored significantly higher on the PRF scales of Aggression and Dependence (Auton, Pope & Seager, 2003).
Since there are no difference on the personality scale between the high and low believers, their characters considered as non-pathological. A better way of researching issues regarding paranormal the future will be by taking a new direction in the analysis of belief. There is a need to look for the social environments of the paranormal believers and also the paranormal nonbelievers. Such a research would give a better and clear understanding of the two aspects. A look on the gender difference is also another way that can be of great help when carrying out paranormal research.
Gender differences can give a contrasting idea on the point of view of gender and how paranormal characteristics portray themselves between sexes. References Auton, H. R. , Pope, J and Seager, G (2003). It Isn’t That Strange: Paranormal Belief and Personality Traits. Social Behavior and Personality. Retrieved on 16 July 2010 from http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_qa3852/is_200301/ai_n9216850/pg_2/? tag=content;col1 Kelly, Lynne, (2004). The Skeptics Guide to the Paranormal. Crows Nest, N. S. W: Allen & Unwin
Sample Essay of Eduzaurus.com