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Revision as of 22:17, 7 April 2006 editSSS108 (talk | contribs)3,025 edits Removing this paragraph because all of the points were essentially made in the first paragraph.← Previous edit Revision as of 14:41, 8 April 2006 edit undoAndries (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers27,090 edits more accurately worded Robert T. Carroll (the author of the Skeptic's Dictionary) holds the opinion that the True Believer's Syndrome fits the psychiatric definition of a [Next edit →
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The '''true-believer syndrome''' is a non-medical term coined by the reformed ] fraud ] to refer to an ] ] in the ]. ] see this as a form of ] caused by ] in which a believer continues to accept paranormal explanations for phenomena or events, or denies the relevance of scientific findings, even after the believer has been confronted with abundant ] that the phenomena or events have natural causes. The term is mainly used by skeptics in the debate over the existence of certain sorts of paranormal phenomena and the persistence of belief in these phenomena. The '''true-believer syndrome''' is a non-medical term coined by the reformed ] fraud ] to refer to an ] ] in the ]. ] see this as a form of ] caused by ] in which a believer continues to accept paranormal explanations for phenomena or events, or denies the relevance of scientific findings, even after the believer has been confronted with abundant ] that the phenomena or events have natural causes. The term is mainly used by skeptics in the debate over the existence of certain sorts of paranormal phenomena and the persistence of belief in these phenomena.


Although not a psychologist, the skeptic ] (the author of the ]) holds the opinion that there is a relation between pathological ] and True Believer's Syndrome. ] stated that although skeptics generally believe there is sufficient proof to conclude that the alleged ]s of ], ] and ] are or were false, followers who continue to hold belief in these men after being presented with evidence indicative of fraud, are described as suffering from "True Believer Syndrome". <ref> as taken from Robert T. Carroll's book, ''"Skeptic's dictionary"''</ref> The skeptic and American philosophy professor ] (the author of the ]) stated that although skeptics generally believe there is sufficient proof to conclude that the alleged ]s of ], ] and ] are or were false, followers who continue to hold belief in these men after being presented with evidence indicative of fraud, are described as suffering from "True Believer Syndrome". <ref> as taken from Robert T. Carroll's book, ''"Skeptic's dictionary"''</ref> Carroll holds the opinion that the True Believer's Syndrome fits the psychiatric definition of a ].


The term is not accepted by mainstream psychologists, nor has it been used in scientific literature. "True Believer Syndrome" is not included or mentioned in the ] ]. No clinical evidence has been provided for its links with demonstrable cognitive impairment or ]. The term is not accepted by mainstream psychologists, nor has it been used in scientific literature. "True Believer Syndrome" is not included or mentioned in the ] ]. No clinical evidence has been provided for its links with demonstrable cognitive impairment or ].

Revision as of 14:41, 8 April 2006

The true-believer syndrome is a non-medical term coined by the reformed psychic fraud M. Lamar Keene to refer to an irrational belief in the paranormal. Skeptics see this as a form of self-deception caused by wishful thinking in which a believer continues to accept paranormal explanations for phenomena or events, or denies the relevance of scientific findings, even after the believer has been confronted with abundant evidence that the phenomena or events have natural causes. The term is mainly used by skeptics in the debate over the existence of certain sorts of paranormal phenomena and the persistence of belief in these phenomena.

The skeptic and American philosophy professor Robert T. Carroll (the author of the Skeptic's Dictionary) stated that although skeptics generally believe there is sufficient proof to conclude that the alleged miracles of Uri Geller, Sathya Sai Baba and James Van Praagh are or were false, followers who continue to hold belief in these men after being presented with evidence indicative of fraud, are described as suffering from "True Believer Syndrome". Carroll holds the opinion that the True Believer's Syndrome fits the psychiatric definition of a delusion.

The term is not accepted by mainstream psychologists, nor has it been used in scientific literature. "True Believer Syndrome" is not included or mentioned in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. No clinical evidence has been provided for its links with demonstrable cognitive impairment or psychopathology.

Similar belief processes were studied by Thomas Kuhn. In his study on the sociology of science, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions Kuhn demonstrates that scientists can hold onto beliefs in scientific theories despite overwhelming prevailing counter-evidence, and suggested that social forces, as much as ones purely concerned with rationality, are a strong influence on the beliefs we hold. This is an area studied by the sociology of knowledge where the social function of paranormal beliefs has been a focus of research.

See also

References

  1. Definition for "True Believer Syndrome" as taken from Robert T. Carroll's book, "Skeptic's dictionary"

Bibliography

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