Sociology & Psychology: Anthropology and UFOs
Generic introduction
I will start my overview of sociological, psychological, and psychoanalytic work on UFOs in the US by isolating several key genres in the many fields concerned with UFOs.
A first genre is the analysis of the social psychology of UFO belief. Jung (1991) was among the first to take this approach with his psychoanalysis of saucer reports, though he also focused on the psychological profiles of self-identified UFO witnesses. His broader analytic work has served as a point of departure for later studies of the symbolic content of UFO reports, alien folklore, and sci-fi entertainment. Studies in this latter group often point out the structural similarities between alien contact narratives and fairy lore, treading the frontiers of psychoanalysis, folkloristics and ufology (compare Rojcewicz 1995 to Vallée 1993 [1969]).
A second genre is the micro-level study of UFO enthusiast and religious groups. Festinger et al's When prophecy fails (1956) remains the most prominent and influential publication on this subject, if only in the sheer number of citations it receives. Since, as with most cultic groups, a great deal of the character of "UFO cults" revolves around the psychological makeup of the leader and its influence on the internal and external dynamics of the group, such studies also appear in psychological journals.
The third genre I will highlight is the heavily psychological issue of the psycho-physiology of the UFO experience. I distinguish this from the first genre dealt with by virtue of its focus on both the individual (as opposed to the more broadly social) and on psychodynamic causes and effects. John Mack (1994) and Michael Persinger (1989) lie at opposite ends of this theme's spectrum: Mack, a psychiatrist, assists self-identified abductees in clarifying memories of alien contact, rendering support to hypotheses of alien contact; Persinger, a laboratory-based psychologist, technologically elicits what he identifies as the contact experience in nonabductees in order to undermine the argument for alien abduction. Some work in this genre relates UFO experiences to religious and mystical experiences, trance states, shamanic initiations, and other alternate states of consciousness, coming into contact with anthropology in the process.
Issues in the sociology & psychology of UFOs
Out of these genres we can derive a couple of major issues for sociological, psychological, and clinical approaches to UFOs.
First we see the attempt to elucidate the functions of UFOs and aliens as mythic figures for individuals as well as for social groups.
San Miguel was found in 1797 by Father Fermin Laswen near juncture of Salinas to rivers about half way between Los Angeles and San Fransico. Mission San Miguel Arcangel was found twenty eight years after the first mission. The main source of water for this church was the nearly Salinas River. Fray Lasuen founded Missi...
...planetesimals that once orbited the sun but were, at one point, captured into a planetary orbit by the planet's gravity. Cratering is also a sign of these period, with the collision of planetesimals into larger ones being the explanation.
Even though women may experience actual benefits from this system, the core result is one where the feminine is tied to psychic alienation. The article entitled ‘No More Miss America’ picks up on many of the points illustrated in Bartky’s chapter. The article calls for the public to protest the pageant due to the myriad of ways that it reinforces the male idea/ideal of the feminine as being the only worthwhile view, or the one most deserving of reward. This conception furthers the kind of female experience of inferiority discussed by Bartky. “In this reputedly democratic society, where every little boy supposedly can grow up to be President, what can every little girl hope to grow to be? Miss America. That 's where it 's at. Real power to control our own lives is restricted to men, while women get patronizing pseudo-power, an ermine clock and a bunch of flowers; men are judged by their actions, women by appearance” (Chicago Women’s Liberation Union,
The UFO crash site in Roswell New Mexico in 1947 was the start of people’s interest in extraterrestrials, the discovery of military secrets and experiments kept from society, and the start, in search of answering are we alone in this universe.
Shortly after the election of Polk in 1844, who’s plan was to “re-annex” Texas and to “re-occupy” the Oregon territory, annexation routine was put into action. When his proposal to pay for the las was rejected, he proceeded to initiate a war by operating troops into a quarter in between the Nueces River and the Rio Grande that both nations had formerly identified as a section of the Mexican State of Coahuila. President James Polk ended up succeeding in the political aspect, on the other hand, Mexico was not so lucky. Mexico agreed to a peace treaty that required them to give up all the land the Unites States asked
“She represents the type of womanhood America needs, strong, red-blooded, able to shoulder the responsibilities of homemaking and motherhood. It is in her type that the hope of the country rests” (Martin & Watson, 2004, p.3). This was Samuel Gompers sharing his thoughts about the very first “Miss America”, Margaret Gorman. The Miss America Pageant was established in the most fitting of all decades: the 1920s. During a time when women were just starting to experience newfound independence and rights, the Miss America Pageant strengthened the idea that women had more freedom to express themselves. The competition began as a simple tourist attraction, but the fact that the Miss America Pageant survived throughout the decades exemplifies that the competition was so much more.
Cohen, Daniel. The Encyclopedia of the Strange. New York: Dodd, Meod & Company, Inc., 1985.
When you think of the word ‘alien’ you may think of bobbled head cartoons, like the Martian from Looney Tunes and E.T, or you may think of psychotic extraterrestrial beings out to dissect your body. The alien obsessed subculture of sci-fi has taken over our minds; literally and metaphorically. People hold conventions for these worldly creatures hoping to meet them one day, but then there’s some people wearing tin foil hats preparing for their attack. In 1952, George Adamski admitted to dreaming and looking
The U.S requested the also be given the Rio Grande. The Rio Grande was south of Texas and clearly belonged to Mexico (refer to figure 1). The U.S felt that the Rio Grande was part of Texas and should be given to the U.S with Texas. Mexico would not give up the Rio Grande because they were certain that the Rio Grande belonged to them. America's greed is THE major reason this conflict occurred. The U.S also believed the Mexico should have to pay for any of the U.S's debts that were incurred during Mexico's conflicts with Spain. America was in debt 3 million dollars because of the Mexico and Spanish conflicts and America very strongly believed that these debts were Mexico's fault and they should have to pay for them.
All of these definitions are exact and significant to this research because sometimes it is obvious people are unaware of the true meanings of these words. The meanings of extraterrestrials and aliens have been commonly misinterpreted. An extraterrestrial is something, living or nonliving, which is not from earth, while an alien can be something from earth, but is not native to its surroundings. An unidentified flying object is something that has never been officially recorded. In this case, the witnesses refer to th...
As long as one can remember, paranormal beliefs have always existed in human society. They are living in every man’s childhood and in every corner of human’s life. From the burning belief about Santa Claus’s gifts under a Christmas’s tree in the morning to a scary game about Bloody Mary and her coming back from the dead, it seems that people cannot help but draw themselves to these stories. Even when these beliefs fade, there would be a new one that eventually shows up. No matter how much science has progressed, the belief in paranormal phenomena still remains in society. Eventually, the question about paranormal phenomena seems pale in comparison to the human’s undying belief about such things. It is really hard to pinpoint an exact cause for human’s belief in the paranormal for only one cause is not enough; however, it is sure that psychological, sociological, and biological factors play an enormous role that contributes to this belief.
There are numerous of different movies, books, and TV shows on how humans think aliens interact, look similar to, and what the media portrays aliens to be like. Occasionally, most will stumble across news articles with a variety of related headings about aliens, UFO’s, or recent known abduction stories. Every person has their own theories and or thoughts on these basic questions: do aliens exist? Could the government be covering up real life “space ships” or encounters? Countless folks have claimed to witness or have fanciful stories that have fascinated countless while several others are turned away. There are Videos, pictures and pieces of physical evidence to support nearly all of these stories. Even more alarming,
... Earth’s Moon. The first one known as the Fission Theory states that the moon was once a part of the Earth but was separated from the Earth. The Capture Theory states that the moon was formed somewhere else but was then captured by Earth’s gravitational pull. The condensation theory states that both the Earth and the Sun condensed together from the original nebula that created the solar system.
Astronomers now believe the Moon is the remains of a giant cosmic traffic accident. In its very early days, the Earth was hit by a runaway planet the size of Mars. White-hot molten rock were splashed into space, and solidified into a ring of rocks around the Earth. These th...
The history of pageants has dated back to the 1920s, when the first Miss America, Margaret Gorman, was crowned. According to research, The United States has traced back its roots of pageantry where it even dates back when the Women’s Liberation and Civil Rights Movement started. In the early 1920s, also known as the “Roaring Twenties,” women did not have any rights in the United States. Society during this time saw women having the role of being married and staying at home while taking care of their kids and tending to their homely duties. Women in the 1920s were in the process of fighting for their right to vote as well as having equal rights in America and being able to work in the workforce. On August 18, 1920, the change for women’s rights had just begun, the 19th amendment passed by congress granted women the right to vote in the United States. The labor force for women was beginning to change as well. Women were once seen having the role of “feminine” jobs. Society saw women taking jobs like nursing and teaching. Men did not like the fact that the w...