1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910812096803321

Autore

Lamont Peter

Titolo

Extraordinary beliefs : a historical approach to a psychological problem / / Peter Lamont [[electronic resource]]

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cambridge : , : Cambridge University Press, , 2013

ISBN

1-107-30140-8

1-107-23552-9

1-107-25548-1

1-107-30649-3

1-139-09432-7

1-107-31204-3

1-299-00627-2

1-107-31424-0

1-107-30869-0

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (xi, 321 pages) : digital, PDF file(s)

Classificazione

PSY008000

Disciplina

130

Soggetti

Parapsychology

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Machine generated contents note: 1. Introduction; 2. The making of the extraordinary; 3. The making of mesmeric phenomena; 4. The making of spiritualist phenomena; 5. The making of psychic phenomena; 6. The making of paranormal phenomena; 7. The making of extraordinary beliefs.

Sommario/riassunto

Since the early nineteenth century, mesmerists, mediums and psychics have exhibited extraordinary phenomena. These have been demonstrated, reported and disputed by every modern generation. We continue to wonder why people believe in such things, while others wonder why they are dismissed so easily. Extraordinary Beliefs takes a historical approach to an ongoing psychological problem: why do people believe in extraordinary phenomena? It considers the phenomena that have been associated with mesmerism, spiritualism, psychical research and parapsychology. By drawing upon conjuring theory, frame analysis and discourse analysis, it examines how such



phenomena have been made convincing in demonstration and report, and then disputed endlessly. It argues that we cannot understand extraordinary beliefs unless we properly consider the events in which people believe, and what people believe about them. And it shows how, in constructing and maintaining particular beliefs about particular phenomena, we have been in the business of constructing ourselves.