A Framework of Belief in Paranormal Experiences and its Relation to Positive/Negative Schizotypy

Background: Paranormal experiences that fit into a prior framework of belief are seen as more pleasant, while individuals without such a framework find them intrusive and disturbing. Methods: Undergraduate students (no paranormal experiences group, N= 1574) and people who attended workshops on paranormal/spiritual topics (paranormal experiences group, N= 416) completed two questionnaires, the OLIFE – which assesses schizotypy in four dimensions – and the Paranormal Experiences Questionnaire – which collects information on spontaneous paranormal experiences. Objectives: To test people who have more experiences and paranormal beliefs are able to cope with potentially distressing effects of such experiences. Results: Members of the paranormal experiences group were less cognitively disorganised and tended to have more unusual paranormal experiences. Individuals with more paranormal beliefs/experiences may indeed be able to cope better with the potentially distressing effects of such experiences. Discussion: Individuals with more unusual experiences may be able to ‘buffer’ their potentially distressing effects through the existence or construction of a framework in which to place them; for the no paranormal experiences group (individuals without a belief framework), positive schizotypy might, in fact, be adaptive, as highly magical thinking provides a better chance of creating an effective and imaginative framework to account for the odd experiences.