PSYCHOLOGICAL BASIS OF FAITH IN THE EXISTENCE OF PARANORMAL PHENOMENA

V diplomskem delu smo poskušali ugotoviti vpliv psiholoških podlag na vero v paranormalne pojave. V postopku raziskovanja smo se usmerili predvsem na stališče, ki so ga večkrat podprle tudi raziskave iz tujine (npr. Rawcliffe, 1959Peters, 1999Aird 2009). To namreč izhaja iz predvidevanja, da je blodnjavost ena izmed poglavitnejših psiholoških lastnosti, ki prediktirajo vero v paranormalne pojave med duševno zdravo populacijo. Takšno populacijo v našem primeru predstavljajo študentje sociologije s Filozofske fakultete Univerze v Mariboru. S pomočjo analize ankete, ki smo jo izvedli v postopku raziskovanja, smo tudi v našem primeru našli obstoj korelacije med blodnjavostjo in vero v paranormalne pojave. V skladu z izsledki iz preteklih raziskav smo sklepali tudi, da študentje, ki verjamejo v bolj absurdne paranormalne pojave, dosegajo višje rezultate na lestvici blodnjavosti. Ta hipoteza se je izkazala za napačno, saj smo ugotovili večjo blodnjavost med tistimi, ki verjamejo v pogostejše paranormalne pojave. Čeprav se naše diplomsko delo najbolj posveča razmerju med blodnjavostjo in vero v paranormalne pojave, nas je tudi zanimala korelacija med blodnjavostjo in novodobnostjo ter blodnjavostjo in katoliškimi verskimi idejami. Tudi tukaj se je naša hipoteza o obstoju pozitivne statistične korelacije med blodnjavostjo in navedenimi verskimi idejami potrdila. Vsekakor pa smo s pomočjo primerjave rezultatov izvedenih analiz prišli do najvišje pozitivne korelacije med blodnjavostjo in vero v paranormalne pojave. Čeprav ostali psihološki koncepti (npr. psihotičnost, vestnost, itd.), predstavljeni v teoretičnem delu diplome, ki naj bi imeli vpliv na vero v paranormalne pojave, v naši raziskavi niso bili zajeti, pa lahko na tem mestu vsekakor potrdimo, da ima blodnjavost res pomemben vpliv pri veri v paranormalne pojave med študenti sociologije v Mariboru.In this diploma thesis we tried to find out how the human psychological basis influences the belief into paranormal phenomena. Our researches particularly based on a standpoint often supported by the foreign researchers in the previous studies (like Rawcliffe, 1959Peters, 1999Aird, 2009). This standpoint arised from the prediction, which denotes delusion as one of the main psychological characteristics that influences faith into paranormal phenomena among mentally healthy population. In our case this type of population is presented by the students of sociology at the Faculty of Arts, University of Maribor. With the help of the survey analysis, which was carried out through our research procedure, we found out the existant correlation between delusion and paranormal beliefs in our case. In accordance with the results of previous studies, we also predicted that students who believe in more absurd paranormal phenomena, will score significantly higher results on the delusional inventory. This hypothesis proved false, because we discovered higher presence of delusion among those, who believed in common paranormal phenomena. Although our diploma focused on the correlation between delusion and paranormal belief, we also tested the correlation between delusion and New Age, as well as the correlation between delusion and catholic religious ideas. Our hypothesis about the existance of the correlation between delusion and enlisted religious concepts, in this, case approved to be valid. After performing several correlation analysis we ceirtainly affirmed the most significant positive relationship between delusion and paranormal belief. Other psychological concepts (like psychoticism, conscientiousness, etc.), introduced in the theoretical part of the diploma, were excluded from our researches. However, the influence of delusion as the important factor for the existence of paranormal beliefs among students of sociology in Maribor, was certainly confirmed