Understanding spirit possession in the Philippines: a social representations approach
Mental Health, Religion & Culture August 9, 2019 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1080/13674676.2019.1646232 via Semantic Scholar
Summary
Filipino health professionals and laypeople hold overlapping yet distinct views on spirit possession, blending Western biomedical and psychological perspectives with local religious and folk beliefs. Five representational themes emerged from 12 interviews: possession as being overtaken (sinakluban), as a vulnerability, as a disease, as sorcery (kulam), and as being chosen. These findings highlight the interface between religion, indigenous beliefs, psychopathological frameworks, and the Western biomedical model.
Study at a glance
| Design | qualitative study |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 12 |
| Population | Filipino health professionals and laypeople |
| Key finding | Five representational themes of possession emerged: sinakluban, vulnerability, disease, kulam, and being chosen, reflecting a blend of Western and local beliefs. |
Abstract
ABSTRACT Where there are diverse professionals and curers dealing with possession, differences in representations exist. This study uses social representations theory as a frame to examine both the representational overlaps and differences in possession among various Filipino health professionals and the lay distinctly socialised in Western biomedical and psychological lenses and in local religious and traditional folk beliefs. Themes were extracted from 12 individual interviews. Results showed five representational themes, namely: possession as sinakluban, as a vulnerability, as a disease, as kulam, and as being chosen. Findings were discussed in relation to the interface among religion, indigenous beliefs, psychopathological frame, and the Western biomedical model.