Copyright 2020, InterAAmerica, Inc.
I noticed another call. among many, for a Paranormal conference. The continuing need to make money off UFO and paranormal chumps goes on unabated.
And the reasons for the great unwashed UFOers and paranormalists to attend such insipid gathereings is explained in a number of psy- chological and sociological ways.
Here are a few, one showing a real degradation of personal health issues. And note the Maslow pdf, for download:
Group Togetherness or Cohesion
Mutual, positive feelings towards one another. This deep
sense of belonging emerges from individual’s recognizing similarities and
differences then aligns with those of similar values.
Mass gatherings bring large numbers of people into physical
proximity. Typically, this physical proximity has been assumed to contribute to
ill health (e.g., through being stressful, facilitating infection transmission, etc.).
Drawing on psychological research concerning group
processes, we consider the psychological transformations that occur when people
become part of a crowd. We then consider how these transfor- mations may have
various consequences for health and well-being. Some of these consequences may
be positive. For example, a sense of shared identity amongst participants may
encourage participants to view others as a source of social support which in
turn contributes to a sense of health and well-being. However, some
consequences may be negative. Thus, this same sense of shared identity may
result in a loss of disgust at the prospect of sharing resources which could,
in turn, facilitate infection trans- mission. These, and related issues, are
illustrated with research conducted at the Magh Mela (North India).
The need for attachment:
When we become adults and are self-reliant, our need for
attach- ment plays an important role in our well-being. At times, maybe you’ve
also struggled with situations, where you felt lonely or missed someone? In
these moments, probably your need for attachment is making itself felt.
Many people loudly proclaim their autonomy and independence.
Like Ralph Waldo Emerson, they avow, “I must be myself. I will not hide my
tastes or aversions . . . . I will seek my own” (1903/2004, p. 127). Even though people are
capable of living separate and apart from others, they join with others because
groups meet their psychological and social needs.
Across individuals, societies, and even eras, humans
consistently seek inclusion over exclusion, membership over isolation, and
acceptance over rejection. As Roy Baumeister and Mark Leary conclude, humans have a need to belong: “a
pervasive drive to form and maintain at least a minimum quantity of lasting,
positive, and impactful interpersonal relationships” (1995, p. 497). And most of us satisfy this
need by joining groups.
Groups not only satisfy the need to belong, they also
provide members with information, assistance, and social support. Leon
Festinger’s theory of social comparison (1950, 1954) suggested that in many cases people join with others
to evaluate the accuracy of their personal beliefs and attitudes. Stanley
Schachter (1959) explored this process by putting individuals in ambiguous, stressful situations and
asking them if they wished to wait alone or with others. He found that people
affiliate in such situations—they seek the company of others.
Although any kind of companionship is appreciated, we prefer
those who provide us with reassurance and support as well as accurate
information.
Groups also provide a variety of means for maintaining and
enhancing a sense of self-worth, as our assessment of the quality of groups we
belong to influences our collective self-esteem (Crocker & Luhtanen, 1990). If our
self-esteem is shaken by a personal setback, we can focus on our group’s
success and prestige. In addition, by comparing our group to other groups, we frequently discover that we are
members of the better group, and so can take pride in our superiority. By
denigrating other groups, we elevate both our personal and our collective self-esteem (Crocker &
Major, 1989).
Mark Leary’s sociometer model goes so far as to suggest that
“self-esteem is part of a sociometer that monitors peoples’ relational value in
other people’s eyes” (2007, p. 328). He maintains self-esteem is not just an index of one’s
sense of personal value, but also an indicator of acceptance into groups. Like
a gauge that indicates how much fuel is left in the tank, a dip in self-esteem indicates exclusion
from our group is likely.
Disquieting feelings of self-worth, then, prompt us to
search for and correct characteristics and qualities that put us at risk of
social exclusion. Self-esteem is not just high self-regard, but the
self-approbation that we feel when included in groups (Leary & Baumeister,
2000).
GroupThink
Janis identified both the telltale symptoms that signal the
group is experiencing groupthink and the interpersonal factors that combine to
cause groupthink. To Janis, groupthink is a disease that infects healthy
groups, rendering them inefficient and unproductive. And like the physician who
searches for symptoms that distinguish one disease from another, Janis
identified a number of symptoms that should serve to warn members that they may
be falling prey to groupthink. These symptoms include overestimating the
group’s skills and wisdom, biased perceptions and evaluations of other groups
and people who are outside of the group, strong conformity pressures within the
group, and poor decision-making methods.
Emotional, psychological value. In groups we find others who
appreciate and value us. In groups we gain the support we need in difficult
times, but also have the opportunity to influence others. In groups we find evidence of our
self-worth, and secure ourselves from the threat of loneliness and despair. For
most of us, groups are the secret source of well-being.
RR
