Early Studies of Psychic Phenomena: The Contributions of Psychologist and Psychiatrists
Keywords:
History of psychical research, history of psychology, subconscious mind, telepathy, mediumshipAbstract
The purpose of this article is to provide some historical perspective to current interest in psychic phenomena such as ESP and mediumship, and to argue that research and theorization about these phenomena affected both psychiatry and psychology. This included George M. Beard’s and William B. Carpenter’s ideas of automatic nervous action, Frederic W.H. Myers’ and William James’ concepts of subconscious selves, Edmund Gurney’s and Charles Richet’s telepathic and clairvoyance studies, and Pierre Janet’s and Joseph Grasset’s psychopathological views of mediumship. Some of these individuals explained these phenomena as normal processes such as dissociation, while others believed the phenomena required explanations other than those offered by science. Together with other factors, research and theorization about psychic phenomena contributed to the development of aspects of modern psychiatry and psychology, such as the elaboration of the concept of the subconscious mind.
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