Psychic Ability - a Matter of Faith - Research Paper Example

Psychic Ability - a Matter of Faith Table Of Contents: 1. Introduction 2. The Foundation Of Psychic Ability 3. Faith And Psychic Power 4. Conclusion Introduction Psychic ability has always been a matter of debate for experts from different fields like science, psychology, theology, philosophy, sociology and religion. Interestingly, people representing science have always been skeptical about anything that is related to religion, spirituality or psychic ability (Watt 2009, p.iv). Science always depends on experiments. If a particular phenomenon cannot be proved under the ‘controlled’ environment of a laboratory, then it is not considered as a truth by science. For science to consider something ‘authentic’ or true, it has to pass the tests of experiments and observations designed by science. Science demands that if a particular psychic phenomenon is experienced by common man, then it has to work under controlled and laboratory conditions. It is agreed that if a particular ability or phenomenon does not work under controlled conditions, then it is not a science. However, discarding psychic ability as a deception, misguided thing or an illusion of mind (Watt 2009, p.iv) is a wrong thing to do. What scientists fail to understand is that there are things that are beyond the understanding of science. The intensity of belief and faith in a certain thing has a power to manifest things which are beyond the explanation and conditions of scientific world. Hence, it can be said that faith may be the most important aspect in the occurrence of the psychic phenomenon. The Foundation of Psychic Ability Science has always been arrogant and has refused to accept the existence of God or psychic ability even when millions of people have believed in psychic ability and have even experienced it in their life. It has been observed that psychic ability does not depend on the condition of the environment (McBurney & White 2010, p. 23). The psychic ability does not follow any law (McBurney & White 2010, p. 23) simply because it is not under the control of human being. Psychic ability ( clairvoyance, extra sensory perception, ability to predict future, communication with spirits, healing etc.) is considered as a part of spiritual phenomena. Hence, it comes under the category of religion. According to Appleby (2000), a “religion is a reality that is perceived as sacred (De Rivers 2003, p. 584). He said that religious authority plays a vital role in shaping the belief of its followers (De Rivers 2003, p. 584). Psychics who are peace-loving and believe in harmony, utilize their psychic abilities to heal people and to make their life happy (De Rivers 2003, p. 584). This shows that belief in psychic ability has been nurtured by people as it serves different functions of the society (Watt 2009, p.iv). According to Fromm (1973), what differentiates human beings from animals is the fact that human beings consider themselves as an individual entity rather than a part of nature (De Rivers 2003, p. 584). They are aware of the fact that, one day, they are going to die (De Rivers 2003, p. 584). This creates a fear in their heart and they begin to compete with each other to fulfill their basic and social needs in life (De Rivers 2003, p. 584). However, at the same time, people also have a basic need of belonging. Hence, they try to find different ways like devotion, love, organized religion and social festivals to create a bond with other people (De Rivers 2003, p. 584). Human being is also aware of the truth that he cannot remain separate from nature. To avoid the feeling of isolation, he directs his devotion towards ideal or idol (De Rivers 2003, p. 584). This makes him feel unified with God and hence, also makes him feel safe and protected in the infinite scheme of nature. Human being’s faith in spirituality, religion, mythology and miracles helps him to survive the adversities that he faces in life (De Rivers 2003, p. 584). He tries to find solutions through psychic means when practical and scientific means fail to satisfy his needs. At the same time, a particular belief or practice becomes popular only when people experience positive and healthy results from it. Belief in psychic ability has been nurtured since the beginning of humanity not because it is entertaining but because it has been successful in bringing relief and fulfillment in people’s life. However, what plays an important role in the success of psychic ability is not just the power of the psychic but also the faith of a person who goes to him for help or guidance. Faith And Psychic Power It has been observed that the amount of world population, who believe in occurrences of paranormal phenomena, including psychic abilities, is huge (Watt 2009, p.v). Surveys have consistently revealed that about 50 percent of the world population believes in psychic phenomena and 50 percent of these people believe that they have genuinely experienced the psychic phenomenon (Watt 2009, p.iv). According to a southern focus poll conducted by Institute for Research in Social Science (1998), the percentages of people who believe in some specific psychic phenomena are as follows (Irwin 2009, p. ix): 1) 86% of people believe that God answers the prayers, 2)84% people believe in God, 3)73% people believe in reincarnation or life after death, 4) 68% people believe in the existence of heaven and hell, 5) 60% people believe in ESP, 6) 55% people believe that diseases can be completely healed by psychic and spiritual power, Looking at the data above, it is clear that majority of the population believe in psychic phenomena. When so many people believe in different aspects of psychic phenomena, then there must be some truth in it. Also, Hamilton (2001) has found that only 25% of people who doubt the accuracy of astrology said that they do not believe in astrology at all (Irwin 2009, p.ix). This shows that even though people have doubts about psychic abilities, they do not discard the possibility of its existence completely. However, people from scientific field have a negative and closed attitude towards it. Their staunch skepticism makes them ignore the power of faith in human lives. Psychologists and scientists suggested that a psychic ability should be considered authentic only if a psychic can perform his ability in a ‘controlled’ condition or on a controlled group (Coon & Mitterer 2009, p. 53). On the basis of this understanding, psychics are asked to perform their abilities in public. It is said that not even a single psychic has passed the preliminary tests of a $1,000,000 challenge of demonstrating psychic ability in controlled condition (Coon & Mitterer 2009, p. 53). Does this mean that the psychics are frauds or that there is no such thing as psychic ability? In fact, what it means is that the success of a psychic does not depend on the psychic but depends on the strong faith and belief of a person who goes to him for guidance or healing. According to Caroline Watt (2009), scientists should have an open and positive approach to existence of psychic abilities and “should be open to the possibility that our current scientific understanding may be incomplete” to study the mystery behind the working of the psychic phenomena (p. iv). Asking a psychic to prove his ability in public is like asking a person to make his personal prayers public. If you approach the psychics with aggression and skepticism, their psychic energies seem to seep the negativity and this creates a blockage in their sensory perception. Hence, responding to the challenges made by the scientists becomes difficult for psychics. The existence of psychic ability should not be refused on the basis of some fraud people who claim to be psychics. If scientists and psychologists are to unravel the mystery behind the psychic abilities like healing, clairvoyance, reincarnation, trance, miracles etc., then rather than making fun of the believers and the psychics by calling them frauds, they should make a genuine attempt to understand the nuances of these abilities. Spiritual practices like meditation and prayers, which were considered as religious, are now being accepted by science as ‘scientific’ phenomena (Michie 2008, p.15). Variety of surveys conducted by different institutions have provided significant amount of data supporting the fact that meditation is extremely beneficial for maintaining physical and mental health of a person (Michie 2008, p.15). In the same way, it can be concluded that if scientists study the role of ‘faith’ and ‘devotion’ in the life of people, they will be able to understand the authenticity of the psychic ability. Conclusion The data discussed above has proved that the amount of population that believes in psychic abilities is significant. On an average, more than 70% of population believes in different psychic abilities. These people are not psychologically ill or immature. They are healthy people leading healthy lives. Saying that they are misled or misguided by others is like saying that they are mentally weak or immature. The qualities that make them believe in psychic abilities are the devotion, faith and open attitude towards the age old beliefs, practices and religious teachings. People know that if they follow a certain spiritual practice with total faith and surrender, they will get the results without fail. For people to get results from psychics, what they need is faith and not the scientific evidence. Hence, it can be said that faith may be the most important aspect in the occurrence of the psychic phenomenon. References: Coon, D. & Mitterer, J.O. (2009). Psychology: Modules for Active Learning. (11th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. De Rivers, J. (2003). Aggression, Violence, Evil and Peace. In T.Million, M.J.Lerner & I.B. Weiner. (Eds.). Handbook of Psychology: Personality and Social Psychology.( pp. 569-590). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Michie, D. (2008). Hurry Up and Meditate: Your Starter Kit for Inner Peace and Better Health. Ithaca, NY: Snowlines Publications. McBurney, D.H. & White T,L. (2010). Research Methods. (8th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Watt, C. (2009). Foreword. In Irwin, H.J. (Author) The Psychology of Paranormal Belief: A Researcher’s Handbook. (pp. iv-v). Hertfordshire, AL: University of Hertfordshire Press. Read More