Skeptical/Critical Approaches Record Type: Review   ID: 642
Anomalistic Psychology: A Study of Extraordinary Phenomena of Behavior and Experience Zusne, Leonard, & Jones, Warren H.
This book was prepared for use as a textbook for a course on anomalistic psychology given at the University of Tulsa. It is aimed at covering all those psychological phenomena that do not fit the current scientific worldview by the criteria of most psychologists, as well as paranormal phenomena of other kinds that at least in part can be explained in terms of known psychological principles. The specific to-pics covered are as follows. The Introduction includes Terminology, the scientific method and anomalous phenomena, taxonomies of the paranormal, and the authors' biases. Anomalistic Psycho-physiology: I covers miraculous healing and miraculous injury. Anomalistic Psychophysiology: II covers pain control and the psychophysiology of hypo- and hyperarousal. Perception and the Paranormal includes Perception as information processing, attention, expectancy, decision making, the detection of faint stimuli, and individual differences in perception. Anomalous Imagery and Hallucinations deals with hypnagogic and hypnopompic imagery, the sense of presence, and hallucinations. Psychology of Anomalous Memory covers memory systems and memory and occult phenomena. The Psychology of Extraordinary Beliefs covers attitudes and beliefs, the occult, ideology, and dynamics of belief in the paranormal. Personality in Occultism: Determinants and Dynamics includes Occult personality diagnoses and guides to action and phenomena of divided Consciousness. Personality in Occultism: Mind Externalized, covers soul, mind, and the reification of the subjective; Spiritualism; and Psychometry. Psychopathology and Magic covers Psychopathology, origins of magic and demonology, witchcraft, psychopathology and psi, and the role of psychopathology in magic. The Social Psychology of the Extraordinary includes social groups and occultism in cultural context. Parapsychology: I covers the experimental method in parapsychological research and ESP experimentation in historical per-spective. Parapsychology: II covers explanations, models, and theories of ESP; PK; and the question of whether parapsychology is an art or a science. The Psychology of Bad Science includes a comparison of science and pseudoscience; the psychology of bad science; and the UFO problem. Anomalistic Psychology: Retrospect and Prospect, covers anomal-istic psychology: A sociopsychological retrospect and anomalistic psychology: a prospect. Most sections close with Notes pointing out additional sources of information.
Publisher Information:	Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1982. 498p. Bibl: 465-485; 32 figs; Index; 3 tables

Previous review in this category

List All Titles in This Category (57) Book Reviews Menu

Next review in this category

All website graphics, materials and content copyright © 1997-2003
by EHE Network. All rights reserved. For permissions
please contact EHEN's Executive Director, Rhea A. White.

Web Media Management by Palyne Gaenir of ScienceHorizon.

Exceptional Human Experience Network

www.ehe.org