Superstitions

  Introduction

Superstition is an interesting area to explore. Why do people believe in the supernatural? Why is it that some people believe that a black cat crossing one's path signifies a spell of good luck, or any other aspect of the unusual? 

Case Study 1

Look at the following Figures. 

Figure 1

Figure 1: This stick man's relative died recently in July. Shortly after they died, this stick man came across loads of (red admiral) butterflies.

Figure 2: The Paranormal Believer

Figure 2: This stick man (Person A), who also came across "loads of butterflies" shortly after their relative died takes the butterflies as a "sign" that their dead relative is still around them in spirit. In other words, they have put 1 (the relative's death) and 2 (the numerous butterflies they came across shortly afterwards) together and made 5. Person A has wrongly put two separate, unrelated events together. In doing so, they have a false belief that their loved one is still around them. They do not consider more mundane explanations that could be held accountable for why they came across so many butterflies after the death.

Figure 3: The Sceptic

Figure 3: This stick man (Person B), is a sceptic and contrary to Person A, they do not believe that there is a link between the deceased person and the butterflies phenomenon. As he/she tells us, the time when the relative died was during cold damp weather. In other words, the weather was edging towards the weather we associate with winter. What do butterflies do in winter time? They look for places to hibernate. So Person B logically thinks that the reason why they came across "loads of butterflies" shortly after the person died was because "The butterflies were merely looking for a place to hibernate."

Figure 4: Therefore The Sceptic concludes that the butterflies were "...not linked to my relative's death, because the butterflies were merely going into my house to hibernate." (As a joke, his 'poor relative', the ghost, is stuck as to how it can prove its existence because "Sceptics are so hard to convince!")

So whilst butterflies were believed to be a sign that the dead relative lived on in spirit form, this was by no means correct.

The Believer vs. The Sceptic

The Believer assumes or believes that there is some link between:

a) the death of a loved-one

and

b) the phenomenon of coming across lots of butterflies.


Logically, there is no direct link between the death of a person and coming across lots of butterflies. The butterflies phenomenon merely coincided with the death of the stick man's relative. Just because two completely different events happened in a very short span of time to each other doesn't mean that there is some significance that links the two together - or that, as in cause-and-effect, one event (the butterflies) happened as a result of another event (the death). Nor should the latter event be taken as some sort of sign that the deceased person is still around in spirit after their death.
   As The Sceptic had said, the death occurred when the weather was "very cold and damp" - this meant that the butterflies were looking for a place to hibernate and happened to be looking for a place in the stick man's home. Purely by coincidence, the person died during this time and The Believer assumed that the butterflies phenomenon was linked in some way to the death of their relative.

 

The explanation

So what's the explanation for the superstitious assumption that the butterflies phenomenon was linked to the person's death? Well, as well as a lack of critical thinking, the explanation is:

Classical conditioning.

What is 'classical conditioning'?

Classical conditioning, as taken from my entry for the concept on my blog post Psychology, refers to when "Something (e.g. relaxation), which was caused by something else (e.g. meditation) is associated with having been caused by another factor (e.g. crystals) that was present, when in fact the effect (relaxation) was caused by something else (meditation) and not by another factor that happened to be present (crystals)." Classical conditioning explains superstition, effects of crystal energies, Reiki and Reiki symbols, energy sensing as well as many other other things. 

Some more examples

Superstition                                                            Meaning

Black cat crossing one's path                 an increased spell of good luck is on its way

White feathers appearing soon

after the death of a loved one                 the deceased person is being looked after by the angelic beings

"Fingers crossed"                                  a gesture for good luck

"Touch wood"                                      a saying of good luck in a scenario whose outcome is unpredictable

Sprinkling salt at one's front door            supposed to ward off evil, bad or unwanted guests from entering someone's home

Tingling or goosebumps                         associated with the presence of a deceased loved-one

Discussion

Do butterflies really mean that a loved-one is still around?

As well as classical conditioning and lack of critical thinking, another explanation for some of the above examples of superstition is that maybe the person had some sort of experience whose outcome turned out for the better after doing the ritual of "touching wood" for example. Perhaps Person A had an exam for Biology, so perhaps he "touched wood" as some means of trying to receive a good outcome out of a scenario whose outcome was unpredictable. Then Person A did well in the exam and consequently, he believes that touching wood helps with one's good luck. There is also the possibility that if he touched wood just before he went for his exam, he may have tried harder (subconsciously, perhaps) at his work as he had the belief that he will do well as result of touching wood (or some other ritual). This latter event - trying harder - led to his successful outcome at his exam, yet through classical conditioning, he believes that touching wood made all the difference. 

The benefits

What are the benefits of superstitious beliefs? One benefit, of course, is that th

Do white feathers mean that a loved-one is being looked after by angels?

ey provide the individual with a sense of psychological security. This may seem to be substantial to him or her - the security, that is, that their belief gives them - yet, in reality, it isn't substantial at all. What is substantial is their person belief in the particular subject's meaning - e.g. that white feathers mean that a deceased relative is safe and being looked after by angels. Also, superstition can serve to ensure that the individual lives in a "magical world" and is the means for them to have or experience things which are in support of their belief. For example, a person cannot have an experience involving angels if they do not believe in the existence of angels in the first place. Superstition not only works in conjunction with classical conditioning, but it also works with cognitive dissonance and selective memory as well as reconstructive memory.  
   Of course, different superstitions give different benefits. A person will benefit from a belief in the afterlife and of spirits, because it gives them the ability to know that their loved ones are still with them, but in spirit form. Also, a belief in the afterlife and in karma may help an individual to censor their own actions because it allows them to understand that the consequences of their actions in this lifetime will be paid for by them in the next lifetime. So if they do bad deeds are actions in this lifetime, it will not make their next lifetime so easy or bearable, compared to if they behaved like a good person in their current lifetime resulting in the next one being more pleasant.
    Socially speaking, religion and superstition could be used by some individuals to manipulate the behaviour of others for their own benefit (financially speaking). For example, if a person believed in Heaven and Hell, this belief may be manipulated to ensure that the person behaves according to the interests of another person - i.e. by doing "good" deeds, it makes sure that their soul goes to Heaven. In this way, the manipulating person may easily persuade the religious person to do as they want, using, as motivation or reward, the concept of getting a ticket to Heaven for their soul as a result of their deeds. Obviously, this is theoretical and by no means am I implying that that is what happens with people and religion. It only serves to explain how we can be controlled and manipulated psychologically through our personal belief system. 
    Perhaps if a particular person publicly acts and states that they belong to a particular religion or belief, the other people who also belong to that religion may hold that public figure in high accord because they believe that they share the same beliefs and religion as that person. This will help the public figure's social position and standing, as well as following. 
    

The drawbacks

The person who holds the particular belief must face particular drawbacks that come in the same package as believing in that particular concept. They must:

• Accept that not everyone shares their personal belief or religion
• Accept criticisms and arguments that may be sceptical or debunking of their belief or religion
• Acknowledge that science does not have any evidence for their belief
• Accept that some individuals of society may regard them as "social outcasts"
• Find other individuals who share their belief system
• Find personal evidence that supports their beliefs
• Interpret their everyday experiences according to their personal belief system

It is undoubtedly difficult for a person who has particular superstitious beliefs who is married with some who is sceptical of their beliefs. The sceptic may be concerned about their partner's gullibility in easily accepting things or information that supports their belief and may also be concerned on their behalf because they are aware also of the sceptical explanations of their partner's beliefs or experiences. Meanwhile, it may be difficult for the superstitious indvidual living with a sceptic because their partner does not share their same beliefs as they do, nor do they share the same perspective. This may lead to misunderstandings and arguments. 

   When science does not provide evidence for a person's superstitious belief, the person will need to look to other forms of evidence which are of personal significance to them. This personal evidence will not be interpreted in the same way by other people - sceptics - but will be by individuals who have similar belief systems.