Psychology and the Paranormal: Exploring Anomalous Experience - Paperback

by David F. Marks (Author)

The field of research on the paranormal has changed enormously in the last 20 years. Examining experiences of ESP, psychokinesis, precognition, ganzfeld, dissociative states, out-of-the-body experiences, alien abductions and near-death experiences, David Marks appraises the best available evidence to date on scientific claims of the paranormal. Each chapter also provides a description of the psychological processes that are likely to contribute to these experiences, and to the high prevalence of paranormal beliefs.

Importantly, this book does not take a fixed sceptical or 'disbelieving' view of the phenomena but, as far as possible, offers a neutral gaze which will equip readers to make up their own minds, as well as providing them with the critical skills to defend their conclusions.

Author Biography

DAVID F. MARKS served as Head of the School of Psychology at Middlesex Polytechnic, and as Head of the Department of Psychology at City University, London, UK. Previously David held positions at the University of Sheffield, UK, and at the University of Otago, New Zealand. His other books include The Psychology of the Psychic (1980, with R. Kammann), Theories of Image Formation (1986), Imagery: Current Developments (1990, with J.T.E. Richardson and P. Hampson), The Quit For Life Programme: An Easier Way to Stop Smoking and Not Start Again (1993), Improving the Health of the Nation (1996, with C. Francome), Dealing With Dementia: Recent European Research (2000, with C.M. Sykes), The Psychology of the Psychic (Revised Edition) (2000), The Health Psychology Reader (2002), Research Methods for Clinical and Health Psychology (2004, with L. Yardley), Overcoming Your Smoking Habit (2005), A General Theory of Behaviour (2018), and Health Psychology. Theory, Research & Practice (6th ed., 2020, with M Murray and E V Estacio). David is the Editor of the Journal of Health Psychology.