-
Essay / Paranormal Beliefs and Media - 1101
A paranormal phenomenon explains the mysterious things that happen in life. This would include: monsters, such as Big Foot, UFOs, ghosts, psychic powers and belief in God and the Devil. Since there are many types of paranormal phenomena, it can be seen that belief in a certain type of paranormal phenomenon often varies depending on the biological distinctions of the human being. Gender is one example, as research has shown that although women are "more likely than men to believe in the devil, heaven, hell, and creationism," men are attracted to idea of UFOs. Additionally, women will most likely believe in the “paranormal and supernatural aspects of life” as well as the “religious and spiritual aspects of life” (Williams 13). This illustrates how gender can influence paranormal beliefs and encourage certain types of beliefs. Additionally, one can also consider other biological approaches, including age group and ethnicity. According to researcher Annodah Saide, people's belief in the paranormal can be determined by their ethnicity and age, as differences between these elements can lead to different perspectives on paranormal belief. For example, looking at demographics shows that, by age group, younger people often believe in ghosts while older people often believe in telepathy (Saide). Research has also shown that African Americans are often “more