Paranormal Beliefs: A Sociological Introduction

by Erich Goode

Despite the continued and growing popularity of such phenom- ena as angels, witches, extra-sensory perception, psychics, astrology, foretelling the future, living past lives, ghosts, and communicating with the dead, such beliefs have received little scrutiny from sociologists. Who believes in them? Why? And with what consequences? A paranormal belief system is generated as a result of cultural, social, and social-psychological forces; it is linked with social institutions in identifiable ways and has identifiable consequences. According to the author, the explication of how paranormal beliefs are accepted or rejected yields richer understanding of social structures and dynamics. Accepting one or more of the beliefs--or accepting a cosmology that rules them out of the realm of the possible--tells us a great deal about the believers and disbelievers as well as the society in which they live. This compelling, well-documented work presents a much-needed sociological examination of the role paranormal beliefs play in our society.

Genres: Sociology, Psychology

310 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Virginiahammes]

I just read this book. It examines paranormal beliefs---including religion vs. science. My daughter had to read this book for a college class. It is very pro-science, as I am, but I still can't help but hold on to my paranormal belief in God. The creationism issues that have been surfacing in public education are addressed, as well as UFOs, and the media's involvement in promulgating belief in the paranormal. It is kind of a heavy read, but fascinating. The author takes a sociological point of view.

[Jeb Card · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book isn't about paranormal society and culture, other than some aspects of demographics that aren't very nuanced (I've seen better, though some not available at the time the book was written). Instead, it is about the paranormal from the perspective of science, which leads to some real problems. One of which is a heavy emphasis on creationism, which from the perspective of a debunking-prone scientist (the author has written for Skeptical Inquirer) is in the same boat as parapsychology, but from practitioners or proponents, may have no connection. While some good points surface that could help understand paranormal beliefs, they are quickly shunted away in favor of the author's obsession with paranormalism from the perspective of materialist science.