Paranormal Belief

A Study of People's Belief's in the Paranormal

Introduction

● A study of the continued belief in ghosts and other paranormal happenings

● Why do people still believe in the face of modern science and technology?

● Is there a special connection between the preservation of belief and tourism and culture?

● How important is storytelling in the preservation of this belief? Is storytelling a major vehicle for cultural phenomena such as this?

● I aim to conduct this research in the hope that I can clarify to myself where I stand – do I believe or not?

Rural/Urban Storytelling Impact

● Plan to conduct interviews with sources from rural areas and urban areas to discover whether there is any correlation with belief and geographical location

● Joe Baker (urban historian) and Bareny Devine (Rural historian – cultural development officer)

● While there is a difference between the two areas, I hope to find that there are similarities in that storytelling plays a major part in the preservation of belief

● Hope to find how storytelling, such as ghost story telling, has helped to keep people educated about their local history and culture

● An extended study into the importance of storytelling for culture (Interview with a storyteller)

Age, Gender and Belief

● Is there a correlation between a certain age group and believers?● Are males more likely to believe than females?● Is there a higher amount of males or females that claim to have had

encounters?● Is there an age where people become more sceptical, and an age where

people become more open to believing?● Methodology – Questionnaire distributed to a variety of ages and both

genders to discover:

1) If they Believe or are Sceptical2)If they have had any paranormal encounters3)or know someone personally that has claimed to have had a paranormal encounter

Contemporary Professionalism in Paranormal Belief

● A study of professions currently operating within this industry● Hope to achieve an interview with either a member of the

NIPRA (Northern Ireland Paranormal Research Association) or a practising medium.

● Discuss whether these professions are genuine or do they have a proven track record for exploitation through monetary gain?

● Interview should give an insight into how they portray themselves

● From this interview we will also see how they INTENTIONALLY portray themselves and make our own minds up after hearing what they have to say

Paranormal Belief in Tourism and Culture

● Similar page to the Urban/Rural page, however it seeks to investigate the impact that belief in the paranormal is currently having in the tourism industry

● Plan to take part in a tour of Crumlin Road Jail or visit another popular site used as a paranormal hot spot for tourists.

● While taking part in one of these tours or events, I hope that my observations as an open minded neutral allow readers to form an idea of the aims and intentions of the organisers of these tours/events

● Still Images of the site(s)

The Religious Impact

● Do believers have any particular religion?● Does believing in the paranormal have an impact on their

religious beliefs?● Are there any hypocrisies?● Results taken on a separate questionnaire with results from at

least 2 religions (to include Catholicism and Islam)● An insight into an organised religions view on paranormalbelief

(Interview with Catholic Priest)● Video Piece – Stylistic documentary style interview with

Catholic priest, hopefully visually enchanting as I hope to conduct the interview in a church setting.

Paranormal Encounters and Case Study

● Hope to gain a few stories from people that they have heard personally.

● Hope to gain a few collections of stories from both urban and rural areas to highlight examples from the content to draw correlation with the story and those who may have produced it (and their reasonings)

● A case study from a known believer in my family that has frequently used mediums and sought answers to what can only be described as hauntings. A brief insight into his personal life may help viewers see that we must consider many areas when analysing the psychology of a genuine believer