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Magical thinking encompasses the belief in assumptions that defy logical reasoning yet appear intuitively convincing. It is a common psychological phenomenon that persists across various cultural and individual contexts. While these assumptions contradict empirical evidence and scientific laws, they often serve meaningful psychological roles in promoting emotional resilience and a sense of control, especially under stress or uncertainty.Thought-Action Fusion and the Law of SimilarityA key...
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Mind-body therapy use and magical thinking.

Laura G Kiken1

  • 1Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, P.O. Box 5190, Kent, OH, 44242, USA.

Social Science & Medicine (1982)
|August 10, 2019
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Mind-body therapy users may exhibit magical thinking, specifically thought-action fusion. This association suggests a link between these practices and cognitive patterns often seen in mental health vulnerabilities.

Keywords:
BeliefsCognitionComplementary and alternative medicineMagicalMind-bodyThought-action fusion

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Behavioral Science
  • Health Studies

Background:

  • Mind-body therapies are increasingly popular, with practitioners sometimes using traditional explanations.
  • These explanations, like 'purification of vital forces,' resemble magical thinking, particularly thought-action fusion.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if users of mind-body therapies display magical thinking.
  • Specifically examining the relationship between mind-body therapy use and thought-action fusion.

Main Methods:

  • Two online cross-sectional studies were conducted with U.S. participants (N=645; N=566).
  • Participants completed assessments for thought-action fusion, magical causal belief, mind-body therapy use, and covariates.

Main Results:

  • Thought-action fusion was significantly associated with mind-body therapy use in both studies.
  • Past-year use for psychological reasons and pain/nausea showed unique associations with thought-action fusion.
  • Magical causal belief was uniquely linked to past-year use for pain/nausea and physical disease.

Conclusions:

  • Preliminary findings suggest an association between mind-body therapy use and magical thinking, especially thought-action fusion.
  • Given the link between thought-action fusion and mental health, and magical thinking's role in health decisions, these results warrant further attention.