The Variety of Holy Spirit Possession

An analysis of ethnographic studies from Jamaica, Papua New Guinea, and Ghana shows that Emma Cohen's cross-cultural typology of spirit possession—executive possession and pathogenic possession—can usefully describe Holy Spirit possession in Pentecostal and Charismatic Christian communities. Cohen's cognitive explanation for recurring possession patterns helps explain consistent behaviors and beliefs about the Holy Spirit across diverse cultural settings. The typology also expands the study of Holy Spirit possession beyond initial baptism to include the ongoing relationship many Pentecostals maintain as central to their religious experience. This work connects Pentecostal ritual to broader anthropological study of religion.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This article seeks to extend Emma Cohen’s cross-cultural categorization of spirit possession to the phenomena of Holy Spirit possession in Pentecostal and Charismatic Christian communities. Cohen argues that cross-culturally recurring features of spirit possession can be explained by evolved patterns in human cognition, and identifies a typology of executive possession and pathogenic possession. I show the usefulness of Cohen’s categorization through an analysis of Holy Spirit possession phenomena as reported in ethnographic studies of Pentecostalism in Jamaica, Papua New Guinea, and Ghana. By doing so, this article accomplishes several things. First, it draws the study of Pentecostal ritual into the wider study of the anthropology of religion. Second, since Cohen’s categorization offers a cognitive explanation for recurring patterns of spirit possession, this article may help explain patterned behaviors and beliefs concerning the activity of the Holy Spirit even in very diverse cultural contexts. Finally, Cohen’s concepts of executive and pathogenic possession broaden the discussion of Holy Spirit possession beyond moments of the initial baptism in the Holy Spirit to the continual presence and relationship that many Pentecostals maintain as the central focus of their religious experience.