Explaining Distributions of Spirit Concepts and Spirit Possession
The Mind Possessed October 1, 2007 DOI: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195323351.003.0009
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractSpirit concepts and possession are not uniformly distributed across cultures; women participate in possession cults at higher rates than men. This chapter examines how environmental and social factors may amplify or suppress the cognitive mechanisms that give rise to such beliefs, building on earlier chapters that described those mechanisms. The analysis suggests that variable distribution of spirit concepts can be explained by interactions between innate cognitive processes and external conditions.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Environmental and social factors can enhance or inhibit the cognitive mechanisms that produce spirit concepts and possession, explaining their variable distribution and women's higher participation in possession cults. |
Abstract
AbstractChapter 9 tackles questions concerning the apparently variable distribution and relevance of spirit concepts and possession (e.g. the high degree of women's participation relative to men's participation in possession cults). Taking some of the necessary cognitive mechanisms for the emergence and spread of spirit concepts described in chapters 6–8, this chapter considers what environmental and other factors may enhance or inhibit the natural output of these mechanisms.