7 research outputs found
From text to self : the interplay of criticism and response in the history of parapsychology
The thesis examines the history of criticism and response in scientific
parapsychology by bringing together the tools of history, rhetoric of science, and
discursive psychology to examine texts generated in the heat of controversy. Previous
analyses of the controversy at hand have been conducted by historians and sociologists
of science, focusing on the professionalisation of the discipline, its philosophical and
religious underpinnings, efforts of individual actors in the history of the community, and
on the social forces which constrict and restrict both the internal substantive progress of
the field and its external relations with the wider scientific community. The present
study narrows the problem domain from the English-language literature ---- an extensive
database of over 1500 books and articles ---- to the following: (1) a brief history of the
development of the field in the U. K. and the U. S. that includes a survey of previous
reviews of the controversy; (2) a specific controversy that extended over a 10-year
period in the mid-twentieth century; and (3) a solicited debate on parapsychology with
two target articles, 48 commentaries, and 3 responses published in Behavioral and Brain
Sciences.
The thesis is comprised of eight chapters. In Chapter 1, the goals and methods of the
thesis are described, previous considerations of controversy and closure in science
studies are reviewed, the notion of closure is discussed, and the thesis content is
described. In Chapter 2, a brief history of the field is provided which emphasises the
broad structure and content of the field rather than specific methodology, results, or
theory. In Chapter 3, previous reviews of the controversy are examined to provide a
sense of the controversy terrain and to examine the extent to which what Gilbert and
Mulkay (1984) have called ‘‘contingent’’ and ‘‘empiricist’’ repertoires have been used in
criticisms and response. In Chapter 4, case studies on parapsychology that appeared in
the science studies literature are reviewed. Rhetoric of science is introduced as a domain
from which analytic tools for the present research are drawn. In Chapter 5, a case study
tests the hypothesis that differences in style and structure in the two volumes that
bracket the most important controversy in the history of American experimental
parapsychology may have contributed to the scope and persistence of the controversy.
The controversy extended from 1934 to 1944, beginning with the publication of the
monograph Extra-sensory Perception (Rhine, 1934) and ending with the publication of
Extrasensory Perception After Sixty Years (Pratt, Rhine, Smith, Stuart & Greenwood,
1940). In Chapter 6, I justify a turn towards the methodology of discourse analysis by
reviewing both the antecedents of modern discursive psychology, and methods that are
currently in use. I also review Mulkay’s (1985) The Word and The World as a prelude to
the case study in the next chapter. In Chapter 7, a subset of the methods available in
discourse analysis, particularly the concepts of formulation, category entitlement and
footing are used to analyse a target article, 48 commentaries and two responses to the
commentaries that center on James Alcock’s contentions that parapsychology is the
search for the soul and that dualism as a philosophical position is incommensurate with
science. I show how Alcock’s use of the contingent repertoire in characterising science practise in parapsychology undermines his authority as a scientific interlocutor, and
obscures, to some extent, the substantive message he intended his target article to carry.
Chapter 8 concludes the thesis by restating the findings of the three methods used,
examining the limited use of the methods in this thesis and outlining what a more
extended study with the same and/or related materials would look like, while describing
other potentially fruitful research that might be done. How these methods should and
may contribute to science practise in parapsychology is also discussed with a particular
emphasis on the multidisciplinary nature of the discipline and the need for a more
complete reflexivity
Perspectivas históricas da influência da mediunidade na construção de idéias psicológicas e psiquiátricas
BACKGROUND: Psychology and psychiatry have long been influenced by the phenomena their practitioners study. A variety of ideas about the mind and its pathology were developed in the context of studies of hysteria, double and multiple personality and hypnotic phenomena. OBJECTIVES: In this study we argue that mediumship influenced both psychology and psychiatry in different ways. The study of mediumistic phenomena such as trances and written or verbal messages claimed to come from deceased spirits contributed to the development of several important concepts during the nineteenth century and later on. METHODS: We have reviewed the historical psychiatric and psychological literature relating to mediumship to identify discussions about mediumship. RESULTS: Mediumship was used to defend a variety of ideas about the subconscious mind by figures such as William B. Carpenter, Frederic W.H. Myers, and Joseph Grasset. Both Pierre Janet and Théodore Flournoy used mediumship to illustrate forms of dissociation. Similarly, psychopathology was related in different ways to the practice of mediumship, as discussed by Jean-Martin Charcot, Pierre Janet and Gilbert Ballet. CONCLUSIONS: While mediumship was just only one factor affecting concepts of the subconscious, dissociation and psychopathology, its influence needs to be more recognized than it is currently done in the historiography of psychology and psychiatry.CONTEXTO: A psicologia e a psiquiatria têm sido, ao longo do tempo, influenciadas pelos fenômenos estudados pelos pesquisadores dessas áreas. Diversas idéias sobre a mente e suas patologias foram desenvolvidas no contexto dos estudos de histeria, de dupla e de múltipla personalidades e dos fenômenos hipnóticos. OBJETIVOS: Neste estudo, propomos que a mediunidade tenha influenciado tanto a psicologia quanto a psiquiatria de diferentes modos. Os fenômenos mediúnicos, tais como os transes e as mensagens verbais ou escritas atribuÃdos a espÃritos de mortos, contribuÃram para o desenvolvimento de vários importantes conceitos durante o século XIX e daà por diante. MÉTODOS: Revisamos a literatura histórica da psiquiatria e da psicologia relacionada à mediunidade para identificar discussões sobre a mediunidade. RESULTADOS: A mediunidade foi usada para defender ampla variedade de idéias sobre a mente subconsciente por pesquisadores como William B. Carpenter, Frederic W. H. Myers e Joseph Grasset. Tanto Pierre Janet quanto Théodore Flournoy se serviram da mediunidade para ilustrar formas de dissociação. Da mesma forma, a psicopatologia foi relacionada de diferentes modos à prática mediúnica, como foi discutido por Jean-Martin Charcot, Pierre Janet e Gilbert Ballet. CONCLUSÕES: Apesar de a mediunidade ser apenas um dos fatores que afetou a construção de conceitos como o de subconsciente, dissociação e psicopatologia, é necessário que sua influência seja mais reconhecida do que o é atualmente na historiografia da psicologia e da psiquiatria
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JNDS, Volume 28, Number 1
Review of a book titled "Parapsychology and the Skeptics: A Scientific Argument for the Existence of ESP" written by author Chris Carter
Out-of-Body Experiences and Physical Body Activity and Posture Responses From a Survey Conducted in Scotland
Although there have been studies of some factors related to the features of out-of-body experiences (OBEs), the effect of physical body posture and activity has not been systematically explored. Over the years research has suggested that OBEs are more frequent in states of low physical activity and when the body is supine, in agreement with other findings related to alterations in consciousness. Thus, we predicted that OBEs would be associated with lying down and little or no physical activity, and that these factors would show a higher number of OBE features than OBEs in which the person was physically active and/or standing. OBE cases were collected through appeals in published sources. Respondents provided a description of their only or most recent OBE and filled out a questionnaire about OBE features. The findings indicate that OBEs were associated with low physical activity and being in a supine position. Those who had experiences under these conditions also obtained a higher number of OBE features than those who were active and standing at the time of the OBE
Introduction: Criticism, Proof, Process and Practical Applications
The current volume of Advances in Parapsychological Research is the 10th in this long-running series, the first going back to 1977. From the beginning, we have endeavored to bring our readers perspectives that reflect the development of this controversial but challenging field of study. We view parapsychology, the scientific approach to the exploration and understanding of so-called "psi phenomena;" as transdisciplinary in nature. The field was originally viewed as a function of psychology, the "para" signifying something "alongside" of psychology, not in opposition to it. Over the decades, contributions have been made by physicists, anthropologists, neuroscientists, and workers in many other disciplines. So rather than viewing parapsychology as interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary, it is probably more accurate to use the transdisciplinary term to reflect the holistic outlook required to do justice to the field
Advances in Parapsychological Research 10
This book consists of a collection of essays informing readers as to the contemporary status of selected cutting-edge issues in parapsychology (or "psi research"). Topics include cross-examinations of psychical investigations; a meta-analysis of anomalous information collected by mediums; an examination of the relationships between parapsychology, quantum theory and neuroscience; and a study of psychics' involvement in police investigations