Superstitiousness and paranormal beliefs of the Russian and tatar students

© 2017 Serials Publications. The sociological studies carried out during the recent decade show that the large part the population in Russia (various demographical groups) believe in the paranormal, observe different rituals, turn to wizards, fortune-tellers, healers and psychic mediums for help. This phenomenon is also spread enough among university students. Superstitiousness and beliefs in the paranormal among young people is a point of special research interest. Besides in the multi-cultural contexts it is reasonably important to see the ethnic specifics of superstitions and beliefs. The research methodology if the study consists of the "Paranormal Belief Scale", the "Superstitiousness Inventory", the "World Assumptions Scale", and the "Ways of Coping Questionnaire". The findings show that the students from the Tatar ethnic group trend to be more subject to the traditional religious formulas (Islam) about the existence of God, Paradise and Hell, devil and others than the Russian ethnic group. Tatar students demonstrate direct correlation between traditional religious beliefs as well as beliefs in communication with spirits, magic and fortune-telling and positive reappraisal as a way of stress coping. The more the belief in magic, transmigration of souls and fortune telling is in the Tatar sample, the more convinced they are in their personal good luck. In the Russian sample the faith in justice of the world is directly related to the traditional religion (Orthodox Christianity), as well as with the beliefs in magic and fortune telling. The students from the Russian ethnic sample with the expressed faith in the paranormal phenomena show escape-avoidance coping strategy

Irrationality as Personality Traits of Persons Suffering from Neurotic Disorders

The article describes the peculiarities of thinking of persons suffering from neurotic disorders. The respondents are 50 patients undergoing treatment for neurotic disorders, and 50 people who do not have a history of neurotic disorders and have not previously applied for psychotherapeutic help. The age of the subjects in both groups was from 25 to 65 years. The obtained data indicate that persons suffering from neurotic disorders are more inclined to believe in psi-abilities (telekinesis, levitation) and observe various signs. At the same time, persons suffering from neurotic disorders have higher scores than healthy subjects on the scales of “Personal-superstitious thinking” and “Naive optimism”.Рассмотрены особенности мышления лиц, страдающих невротическими расстройствами. В качестве респондентов выступают 50 пациентов, проходивших лечение по поводу невротических расстройств, и 50 чел., не имеющих в анамнезе невротических расстройств и не обращавшихся ранее за психотерапевтической помощью. Возраст испытуемых в обеих группах — от 25 до 65 лет. Полученные данные указывают на то, что лица, страдающие невротическими расстройствами, более склонны верить в пси-способности (телекинез, левитация) и соблюдать различные приметы. При этом у них отмечаются более высокие, чем у здоровых испытуемых, баллы по шкалам «Личностно-суеверное мышление» и «Наивный оптимизм».Исследование проведено при поддержке РФФИ, грант № 20-013-00644

Superstitiousness and paranormal beliefs of the Russian and tatar students

© 2017 Serials Publications. The sociological studies carried out during the recent decade show that the large part the population in Russia (various demographical groups) believe in the paranormal, observe different rituals, turn to wizards, fortune-tellers, healers and psychic mediums for help. This phenomenon is also spread enough among university students. Superstitiousness and beliefs in the paranormal among young people is a point of special research interest. Besides in the multi-cultural contexts it is reasonably important to see the ethnic specifics of superstitions and beliefs. The research methodology if the study consists of the "Paranormal Belief Scale", the "Superstitiousness Inventory", the "World Assumptions Scale", and the "Ways of Coping Questionnaire". The findings show that the students from the Tatar ethnic group trend to be more subject to the traditional religious formulas (Islam) about the existence of God, Paradise and Hell, devil and others than the Russian ethnic group. Tatar students demonstrate direct correlation between traditional religious beliefs as well as beliefs in communication with spirits, magic and fortune-telling and positive reappraisal as a way of stress coping. The more the belief in magic, transmigration of souls and fortune telling is in the Tatar sample, the more convinced they are in their personal good luck. In the Russian sample the faith in justice of the world is directly related to the traditional religion (Orthodox Christianity), as well as with the beliefs in magic and fortune telling. The students from the Russian ethnic sample with the expressed faith in the paranormal phenomena show escape-avoidance coping strategy

Accessing Patented Knowledge for Innovation - Technical Report

As the world moves towards a knowledge-based economy, where wealth creation is no longer based on the capital investment, but rather on the brainpower and ability to create, Intellectual property (IP) has become an integral part of world business and a major source for wealth creation and economic growth (ARIPO, 2002). The current debate on the role of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and economic development generally as well as implications on research capabilities and capacities is linked to the fundamental changes that have taken place in international IPR system following the implementation of the Trade-related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement...

The Study of Stress Coping and Basic Beliefs of Students Depending on their Superstition Level

The article addresses some aspects of coping behavior. It presents empiric findings concerning correlations between superstitiousness and paranormal beliefs and students’ coping strategies. It was found that students with a high superstition index have more manifested belief in paranormal phenomena (traditional religious belief, belief in witchcraft, spiritism, psi-abilities, and extraordinary forms of life). They also tend to use the coping strategy "positive reassessment", i.e. they try to find positive aspects in the difficult situations and are able to change their attitude towards it. It was also revealed that students with low superstition index have more pronounced beliefs concerning luck and control. They believe that they can control the events that occur, and at the same time they believe in good luck. It was supposed that students with higher manifestation of superstitiousness use it as a compensation mechanism for their less developed confidence in the ability to control their lives and weaker faith in their personal luck. Significant statistical relationships have been detected between superstitions and paranormal beliefs, on the one hand, and behavior in a stressful situation (coping strategies), on the other hand

The Study of Stress Coping and Basic Beliefs of Students Depending on their Superstition Level

The article addresses some aspects of coping behavior. It presents empiric findings concerning correlations between superstitiousness and paranormal beliefs and students’ coping strategies. It was found that students with a high superstition index have more manifested belief in paranormal phenomena (traditional religious belief, belief in witchcraft, spiritism, psi-abilities, and extraordinary forms of life). They also tend to use the coping strategy "positive reassessment", i.e. they try to find positive aspects in the difficult situations and are able to change their attitude towards it. It was also revealed that students with low superstition index have more pronounced beliefs concerning luck and control. They believe that they can control the events that occur, and at the same time they believe in good luck. It was supposed that students with higher manifestation of superstitiousness use it as a compensation mechanism for their less developed confidence in the ability to control their lives and weaker faith in their personal luck. Significant statistical relationships have been detected between superstitions and paranormal beliefs, on the one hand, and behavior in a stressful situation (coping strategies), on the other hand

The Study of Stress Coping and Basic Beliefs of Students Depending on their Superstition Level

The article addresses some aspects of coping behavior. It presents empiric findings concerning correlations between superstitiousness and paranormal beliefs and students’ coping strategies. It was found that students with a high superstition index have more manifested belief in paranormal phenomena (traditional religious belief, belief in witchcraft, spiritism, psi-abilities, and extraordinary forms of life). They also tend to use the coping strategy "positive reassessment", i.e. they try to find positive aspects in the difficult situations and are able to change their attitude towards it. It was also revealed that students with low superstition index have more pronounced beliefs concerning luck and control. They believe that they can control the events that occur, and at the same time they believe in good luck. It was supposed that students with higher manifestation of superstitiousness use it as a compensation mechanism for their less developed confidence in the ability to control their lives and weaker faith in their personal luck. Significant statistical relationships have been detected between superstitions and paranormal beliefs, on the one hand, and behavior in a stressful situation (coping strategies), on the other hand