Magic and the Mind Mechanisms, Functions, and Development of Magical Thinking and Behavior

by Subbotsky, Eugene

• ISBN13: 9780195393873
• ISBN10: 0195393872
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-03-31
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Magical thinking and behavior have traditionally been viewed as immature, misleading alternatives to scientific thought that in children inevitably diminish with age. In adults, these inclinations have been labeled by psychologists largely as superstitions that feed on frustration, uncertainty, and the unpredictable nature of certain human activities. In Magic and the Mind Eugene Subbotsky provides an overview of the mechanisms and development of magical thinking and beliefs throughout the life span while arguing that the role of this type of thought in human development should be reconsidered. Rather than an impediment to scientific reasoning or a byproduct of cognitive development, in children magical thinking is an important and necessary complement to these processes, enhancing creativity at problem-solving and reinforcing coping strategies, among other benefits. In adults, magical thinking and beliefs perform important functions both for individuals (coping with unsolvable problems and stressful situations) and for society (enabling mass influence and promoting social harmony). Operating in realms not bound by physical causality, such as emotion, relationships, and suggestion, magical thinking is an ongoing, developing psychological mechanism that, Subbotsky argues, is integral in the contexts of politics, commercial advertising, and psychotherapy, and undergirds our construction and understanding of meaning in both mental and physical worlds. Magic and the Mind represents a unique contribution to our understanding of the importance of magical thinking, offering experimental evidence and conclusions never before collected in one source. It will be of interest to students and scholars of developmental psychology, as well as sociologists, anthropologists, and educators.

Author Biography

Psychology Department, Lancaster University (UK)

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Magical Reality	p. 3
Magical Causation: Mind Over Matter and Mind Over Mind	p. 5
Magical Thinking, Magical Beliefs, Magical Behavior, and Other Constructs	p. 7
The Science of Magic and the Magic of Science	p. 8
Magic and Religion: Institutionalized and Noninstitutionalized Magical Beliefs	p. 12
The State of the Problem	p. 13
Hypotheses and Predictions	p. 14
Children and Magic	p. 18
Children's Magical Behavior: A Belief or a Misunderstanding?	p. 20
When Magic Meets Science: Can Children Believe Both?	p. 21
Verbal Magical Beliefs and Children's Everyday Experience	p. 24
Magic as an Anomalous Experience	p. 24
The Belief in Question: Testing the Entrenchment of Magical Beliefs	p. 27
Magical Thinking and Children's Cognitive Development	p. 34
Does Magic Play a Role?	p. 34
Magical Thinking and Creativity: The Study	p. 37
Beyond Childhood	p. 45
Magic Without Magic: Adults' Reactions to Counterintuitive Physical Events	p. 46
The Spectrum of Magical Phenomena: Evidence From Anthropology, Psychology, and Psychopathology	p. 48
Bringing Magical Beliefs to the Surface: The Role of Cost	p. 51
Culture and Magical Thinking	p. 54
Preaching Science and Practicing Magic: A Sandwich of Beliefs	p. 55
Belief in Science: How Deep Under the Skin?	p. 56
A Magical Bridge Across the Atlantic: From Mexico to Britain	p. 57
Uses and Misuses of Magical Beliefs	p. 60
Magic and Exploratory Behavior	p. 63
Weird but Interesting: Curiosity Toward the Supernatural	p. 64
Magical Versus Counterintuitive Physical: The M/CP Effect	p. 65
Magical Thinking and Imagination	p. 79
Are Mental Objects Permanent?	p. 80
Physical Versus Fictional: Domains of Imaginary Reality	p. 81
Can Magical Suggestion Change Imagination? Mind-Over-Mind Magic	p. 82
Turning a Rabbit Into a Fish: The Mind-Over-Mind Magic Experiment	p. 84
Cursing One's Future: Magic and Personal Destiny	p. 91
Magic and Human Communication	p. 96
Magical and Ordinary Suggestion: Are They Close Relatives?	p. 97
The Mechanism of Magical Influence: Participation	p. 98
Communicative Magic: The Study	p. 99
The Magic of Today: Communicative Magic and Indirect Persuasion Techniques	p. 110
Magical Beliefs and Psychological Defense	p. 115
Alliance Against Magic: Science and Religion	p. 116
Now It's There, Now It Isn't: Cognitive Defense Against Magical Intervention	p. 118
Seeing Bad Dreams: Magical Influence and Emotional Defense	p. 121
Magical Thinking and the Mind	p. 132
Two Realities: The Structure of the Mind	p. 134
Functions of Magical Reality	p. 136
Ordinary Reality: The Realm of Science	p. 140
Magical Reality: The Realm of Magic and Religion	p. 144
Existentialization as the Work of the Mind	p. 147
Separating the Magical From the Ordinary: The Developmental Perspective	p. 150
Existentialization and Developmental Research	p. 154
Magical Thinking and Beliefs Across the Lifespan: A Summary	p. 163
Childhood: The Dawn of Magic	p. 163
Adulthood: Magic in Power and Magic in Exile	p. 165
Epilogue: Plunging Into a Utopia	p. 170
Notes	p. 176
Bibliography	p. 181
Index	p. 198
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