An Introduction to the Psychology of Paranormal Belief and Experience - Paperback

by Tony Jinks (Author)

When someone admits to a strange experience, such as witnessing an unidentified flying object, having telepathic hunches, or seeing angels or ghosts, listeners usually explain it away as mistaken perception, intoxication, ignorance, or even mental illness. Though these unsympathetic psychology-based explanations remain the most popular responses to claims of the supernatural, those who use them often have little understanding of what such dismissive "solutions" actually entail. This study offers a balanced and accessible analysis of various explanations for the paranormal. By providing insight into how these theories are applied, or misapplied, to inquiry into the paranormal, it clarifies the relationship between the field of psychology and the supernatural.

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Author Biography

Tony Jinks teaches neuroscience and paranormal studies to psychology students at the University of Western Sydney, Australia. He is a consultant on the Australian Institute of Parapsychological Research Review Board and publishes in a wide variety of scientific fields.