Varieties of childhood maltreatment as predictors of adult paranormality and New Age Orientation

Abstract

This study examines the degree to which varieties of childhood maltreatment (in)directly predict adult paranormal and New Age worldviews. Mediation analyses were performed with maltreatment types serving as potential predictors, facets of fantasy proneness as potential mediators and aspects of adult paranormality (anomalous experiences, beliefs, abilities and fears) plus a general New Age orientation as five separate criteria measures. Several hypotheses were (partially) supported. First, child sexual abuse directly predicted more selfreported anomalous experiences, with parental threats of rejection directly predicting fewer anomalous fears in adulthood. Second, indirect relationships between childhood neglect, sexual abuse, emotional abuse and instrumental parentification emerged for all criteria except anomalous fears, with these relationships mediated by at least one facet of fantasy proneness; either vivid/realistic and/or make-believe fantasizing. These findings are consistent with Irwin's (2009) Psychodynamic Functions Hypothesis; the notion that adult paranormality offers an adaptive, needs-serving mechanism for coping with sense of diminished control often stemming from childhood trauma. Contrary to Irwin's model, childhood physical abuse, emotional parentification and parental threats of both abandonment and punishment failed to predict any outcome measure either directly or via more pronounced fantasizing. Theoretical implications, methodological issues and ideas for future research are discussed. 01-12Rationale for exploring specific facets of fantasy proneness is added (cf. Reviewer 2). 01-07 --The above additions contrast with other feedback that the INTRODUCTION is too long (cf. Reviewer 1). In attempt to satisfy these conflicting viewpoints, the INTROCTION has been restructured and re-written for greater succinctness wherever possible. 11-14 11-09The mediation analysis subsection within RESULTS has been restructured for greater clarity and reduced "long-windedness" (cf. Reviewer 1).14-18 10-22 DISCUSSION is now better aligned to RESULTS, with the mixed nature of current findings highlighted (cf. Reviewer 3). Footnotes --A number of footnotes have been re-integrated into the main text else omitted (cf. PAID guidelines) Tables --The visual structure of Table 2 has been improved not through use of boldface (cf. Reviewer 1) but through simplification and use of blank rows. Tables 4 to 8 were not amended as boldface would have necessitated an even smaller font size.Tables --The range of n values in Table 2 has been re-checked and amended. This range reflects differences in the rate of missing values across the dichotomized and demographic (inter) correlations and is done for simplicity and brevity (cf. Reviewer 3). Similar reasoning applies to Tables 4 to 8. All --Citation errors have been amended whenever found (cf. Reviewer 1). All --The manuscript has been re-edited with any spelling and/or grammatical errors rectified. Dear Dr Vernon, Please find enclosed a revised copy of our paper "...

Gender role orientation, thinking style preference and facets of adult paranormality: A mediation analysis

“…Items were rated on a seven-point Likert scale from 1 'strongly disagree' to 7 'strongly agree', with higher scores indicating more of each facet. Satisfactory internal reliability (Cronbach's values of at least .96, .88, .90 and .76 respectively) has been reported for each subscale elsewhere (Rogers & Lowrie, 2016;2018). A fifth AEI subscale ('drug and alcohol use'), deemed irrelevant to current study aims, was not utilized.…”

“…A recent review suggests face-to-face and online sampling tend to generate equivalent data (Campbell, Ali, Finlay & Salek, 2015) with both procedures deemed appropriate for current purposes. (Bem, 1981;Pacini & Epstein, 1999;Rogers & Lowrie, 2016;2018). Anomalous experience, belief, ability and fear ratings were all positively skewed beyond the p=.01 significance cut-off recommended by Clark-Carter (2004).…”

“…Others argue the opposite (Lange & Houran, 1999;Lawrence, Edwards, Barraclough & Church, 1995). A smaller number of studies have linked anomalous experiences and/or belief to more self-proclaimed anomalous ability (Gallagher, Kumar & Pekula, 1994;Rogers & Lowrie, 2016;2018;Stone, 2016). For example, Stone (2016) found that paranormal practitioners ( who had completed, on average 5 years of advanced psychic training and given over 100 psychic readings) maintained stronger paranormal endorsement than non-practitioner believers with, unsurprisingly, both practitioner and believer groups scoring higher than paranormal skeptics.…”

“…In sum, there is (surprisingly) mixed evidence for the relationships anomalous experiences, belief and ability have not only with anomalous fear (Gallagher et al, 1994;Lange & Houran, 1999;1998; but also with each other (Blackmore, 1994;Gallagher, et al, 1994;Lange & Houran, 1999;Lawrence, et al, 1995;Rogers & Lowrie, 2016;2018;Stone, 2016). Consequently, further exploration of the inter-relationship between of Gallagher et al's four facets of adult paranormality seems justified; firstly to clarify the directionality of these (inter) relationships and subsequently to enhance conceptual understanding of how paranormal worldviews might form and be maintained (cf.…”

“…No such associations were found with rational thinking preference and furthermore, do not extend to anomalous ability; perceiving oneself to be paranormally gifted is not uniquely linked to intuition-based (System 1) information processing. Instead, this self-perception appears to be influenced only by the frequency of subjective anomalous experiences (Rogers et al, 2016;2018).…”