This, however, this is not necessarily the case since psychological benefits are typically restricted to specific situations ( Roe and Bell, 2016). The notion that paranormal belief can in some circumstances provide a sense of control implies that credence performs an adaptive function ( Schumaker, 1987 Dean et al., 2021 Parra and Giudici, 2022). Consistent with this supposition, McGarry and Newberry (1981) reported that paranormal believers have a generalised tendency to view the world as unjust, problematic, and unpredictable ( Roe and Bell, 2016 Stone, 2016). Magical ideation often functions as a coping strategy when individuals believe they lack power ( Ofori et al., 2017 Drinkwater et al., 2019). Central to this process is magical ideation, which denotes “belief in forms of causation that by conventional standards are invalid” ( Eckblad and Chapman, 1983, p. Belief in this context resolves uncertainty by providing meaning and/or the illusion of control ( Irwin, 1993, 2003, 2009). This proposes that paranormal belief arises from personal attempts to impose order on the world. Collectively, these findings imply direct relationships between paranormal belief, psychopathology, and well-being ( Irwin, 2009).Ī commonly cited explanation for these associations is the psychodynamic functions hypothesis ( Irwin, 2009). Particularly, negative features such as lower self-efficacy ( Tobacyk and Shrader, 1991), greater anxiety ( Wolfradt, 1997), higher neuroticism ( Vyse, 2013), and external locus of control ( Dag, 1999) ( Hoffmann et al., 2022). Superstition is associated with poorer psychological adjustment (see Wiseman and Watt, 2004 Dagnall et al., 2007b, 2009 Liu et al., 2021). The importance of paranormal belief in relation to well-being is demonstrated by superstition, which is a specific facet of supernatural credence that indexes the notion that forces such as luck and fate influence real-world events ( Dagnall et al., 2007b, 2009). These include, but are not restricted to, greater incidence of psychiatric ( Dag, 1999 Peltzer, 2002), depressive ( Thalbourne and French, 1995), and manic ( Thalbourne and French, 1995) symptoms. Historically, studies have reported positive correlations between belief in the paranormal and psychopathological outcomes ( Thalbourne and Storm, 2019 Liu et al., 2021). These outcomes indicated that belief in the paranormal is not necessarily non-adaptive, and that further research is required to identify the conditions under which belief in the paranormal is maladaptive.
Higher Paranormal Belief, however, was not necessarily associated with lower psychological adjustment and reduced well-being (Profile 2). Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) found that sub-groups with higher psychopathology scores (Profiles 1 and 3) reported lower well-being. Latent profile analysis identified four distinct sub-groups: Profile 1, high Paranormal Belief and Psychopathology ( n = 688) Profile 2, high Paranormal Belief and Unusual Experiences moderate Psychopathology ( n = 800) Profile 3, moderate Paranormal Belief and Psychopathology ( n = 846) and Profile 4, low Paranormal Belief and Psychopathology ( n = 2070).
A United Kingdom-based, general sample of 4,402 respondents completed self-report measures assessing paranormal belief, psychopathology (schizotypy, depression, manic experience, and depressive experience), and well-being (perceived stress, somatic complaints, and life satisfaction). This study examined variations in well-being as a function of the interaction between paranormal belief and psychopathology-related constructs. 2Department of Psychology, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, United Kingdom.1Department of Psychology, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom.Neil Dagnall 1*, Andrew Denovan 2 and Kenneth Graham Drinkwater 1
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