The Psychology of Bewitchment (Part I)
A Phenomenological Study of the Experience of Bewitchment
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11011902 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Gavin Ivey (0000-0002-5537-3504, University of the Witwatersrand, corresponding author), Tertia Myers (University of the Witwatersrand) |
| Year | 2008 |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 54-74 |
| Publication date | 2008-04-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | South African Journal of Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0081-2463 • E-ISSN: 2078-208X |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/008124630803800104 |
| OpenAlex | W2008319178 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 14 |
| References cited | 11 |
The first of two articles on bewitchment reports the findings of a qualitative study based on interviews with a small sample of individuals who believed they had been bewitched. A phenomenological analysis of the data provided a descriptive account of the psychic reality of bewitchment. Those understanding their experience in this way attribute misfortune to the malicious intentions and actions of hated others, who are believed to employ supernatural means to harm their ‘victims’, with real symptomatic consequences. This supernatural interpretive framework relies on a discursive network of witchcraft-related gossip, media reports, folklore, and diagnostic confirmation by traditional healers. Bewitchment beliefs arise within a context of hostile and envious familial and social relations. Despite the distress accompanying the experience of bewitchment, this supernatural understanding was found to offer participants a meaningful explanation for negative life events, especially during times of transition. Muti featured prominently in accounts of ways in which bewitchment is effected and provides the grounds for the experience of being poisoned or possessed by an evil entity. Treatment of bewitchment symptoms by sangomas and spiritual leaders is considered to be superior to that offered by Western medicine
Context (archaeology) · Distress · Epistemology · Folklore · Gossip · Harm · Interpretative phenomenological analysis · Literature · Misfortune · Narrative · Psychoanalysis · Psychotherapist · Qualitative research · Social science · Sociology · Trickster · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Paranormal Experiences and Beliefs · Psychology · Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications · Social Psychology
Towards a culturally appropriate trauma assessment in a South African Zulu community
Analysis of Factors Precipitating Witchcraft Accusationamong the Tiv
“Even the NGOs Never Talk About Ufiti [Witchcraft]”
How Indigenous Belief Systems Guide Help-seeking Behavior for Psychosocial and Medical Problems
Exploring Witchcraft, Sorcery and Bewitchment Beliefs, and Social Work Responses Among Street Children in Zimbabwe
Play Therapy as an Intervention Against Sexual Violence in Botswana
The Marikana Massacre
Demonic possession and deliverance in the diaspora
Indigenous beliefs and customs, the South African criminal law, and human rights
Interfacing Infant Mental Health Knowledge Systems
Lay counselors
The Psychology of Bewitchment (Part II)
Whom will I give him to? The difficulty is mine
A thing full of stories
The Psychology of Bewitchment (Part II)
Moriti Wa Letswele’ (The Shadow of the Breast) — A Stress-Related Somatoform Pain Disorder
The Psychology of Satanic Worship
Belief in demons and exorcism in psychiatric patients in Switzerland
Dr. Wouter Basson, Americans, and Wild Beasts
Mutumwa nchimi healers and wizardry beliefs in Zambia
African Religions and Philosophy
The Modernity of Witchcraft
Culture and Mental Health in the Rainbow Nation
Transcultural Psychiatry in South Africa
| Unique citing works | 14 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,78 |
| Citation span | 2008 - 2025 (18) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 12 |