Believing in Magic: The Psychology of Superstition - Updated EditionWhile we live in a technologically and scientifically advanced age, superstition is as widespread as ever. Not limited to just athletes and actors, superstitious beliefs are common among people of all occupations, educational backgrounds, and income levels. In this fully updated edition of Believing in Magic, renowned superstition expert Stuart Vyse investigates our tendency towards these irrational beliefs. Superstitions, he writes, are the natural result of several psychological processes, including our human sensitivity to coincidence, a penchant for developing rituals to fill time (to battle nerves, impatience, or both), our efforts to cope with uncertainty, the need for control, and more. In a new Introduction, Vyse discusses important developments and the latest research on jinxes, paranormal beliefs, and luck. He also distinguishes superstition from paranormal and religious beliefs and identifies the potential benefits of superstition for believers. He examines the research to demonstrate how we can better understand complex human behavior. Although superstition is a normal part of our culture, Vyse argues that we must provide alternative methods of coping with life's uncertainties by teaching decision analysis, promoting science education, and challenging ourselves to critically evaluate the sources of our beliefs. |
Contents
3 | |
2 The Superstitious Person | 31 |
3 Superstition and Coincidence | 73 |
4 Superstitious Thinking | 113 |
5 Growing Up Superstitious | 169 |
6 Is Superstition Abnormal Irrational or Neither? | 205 |
7 A Magical View of the World | 237 |
Coda | 263 |
Acknowledgments | 265 |
Notes | 267 |
289 | |
309 | |
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Believing in Magic: The Psychology of Superstition - Updated Edition Stuart A. Vyse Limited preview - 2013 |
Common terms and phrases
abnormal action adults appear asked astrology athletes availability heuristic ball Barnum effect basketball Bobo chance chapter child cognitive coincidence college students common contiguity culture death demonstrated dice dreams effect exam example expected experiment experimenter Furthermore Go For Wand horoscope human illusion of control important individual influence involved irrational large numbers learning less locus of control lottery luck lucky magical beliefs Magical Ideation magical thinking ment mental disorders methods obsessive-compulsive disorder one’s Opie and Opie outcome paranormal beliefs participants particular percent person perstition Piaget pigeons placebo placebo effects play players popular Powerball probability problem produced psychic psychological psychologists questions random rational reinforcement relationship reported response result rituals Rosenhan schizophrenia schizotypal schizotypal personality disorder scientific skeptics Skinner social stition suggests super superstition superstitious behavior superstitious belief theory therapeutic touch things thought ticket tion Tobacyk Wade Boggs winning