In H. Sidky’s Book Religion, Supernaturalism, the Paranormal and Pseudoscience, Sidky discusses a classification system for all things that modern science has not yet been able to explain. Under the general definition of “non-natural,” there are the subclassifications “supernatural,” “preternatural,” and “paranormal (Sidky, The Unreal Real: The Supernatural, Religion, and the Paranormal, 2020, p. 42).” While the preternatural deals with scientifically unexplained phenomena with a primarily religious nature and the paranormal with phenomena that has few or no ties to religion, the supernatural deals with everything in the grey in-between, like ghosts or spirits.
|
While these classifications help to differentiate between beliefs investigated in psychological studies, it is important to note that researches in the field of Cryptozoology, under which Nessie squarely falls, tend to discourage any connections to the paranormal or supernatural. In fact, cryptids like the Loch Ness Monster and Sasquatch in theory do not defy the laws of nature, whereas another classification of creature called “folkloric creatures,” which encompass werewolves and vampires, does (Arment, 2004). Despite these differences, psychological studies have found that belief in the non-natural and the scientifically unexplained largely involve the same cognitive processes.
|
|
Belief and skepticism are not such clear-cut concepts as their names suggest. In truth, many polls that have been conducted have shown quite the opposite. Honorary psychology research fellow at the University of New England and distinguished author in the field of parapsychology Harvey J. Irwin discusses one such study in which the researcher found that most participants were skeptical toward astrology, but only a quarter of these participants completely disbelieved in astrology. Other research has shown that Americans, despite the degree of scientific development in the US, still believe in the non-natural and scientifically unexplained.
For the purposes of examining the psychological processes behind belief and skepticism, these categorizations have been made black and white on this website. To find more information behind the cognitive, developmental, and anomalistic aspects of belief and skepticism, visit The Believers Toolbox and The Skeptic’s Toolbox.
|