Paranormal Belief as a Psychological Coping Mechanism

Abstract

Psychodynamic depictions of the functions of paranormal belief imply that such belief may serve as a psychological coping mechanism. The relation between the intensity of paranormal beliefs and three global coping styles was investigated in a sample of Australian adults. Canonical correlation analysis revealed a weak relationship between global paranormal belief and the combination of avoidant coping and a lack of task-oriented coping. The findings are interpreted to suggest that the activation of paranormal beliefs either serves only a minor role as a coping technique or is a relatively specialized adaptive response to a particular class of perceived threat to the person's psychological well-being.