Psychology 101/018
Nina Gorman
December 8th, 2012
Essay
Is ghost or spirit real? How do they affect our society? What can be psychologically explained about it? Spirit for religious, ghost for atheist, demons for some and evils for others, the concept of unidentifiable living being is diversely perceived and interpreted. But, who/what are they, and how they live still the unanswered question. Religiously speaking, Muslims believe in ghost and spirit which are considered and called JINN. The Holly Qur'an states, “He (God) created man (Adam) from sounding clay like the clay of pottery, and the Jinns did He create from a smokeless flame of fire” (Ch 55-vs 14-15). Besides Muslims, Christians also believe in ghost and spirits. According to the Holly Bible, ghosts are true living being. When Jesus appeared to his disciples walking on the lake, they were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." (Luke 24:37-39). In the light of these two important books, ghosts are living being. They are divided into positives and negatives. For other cultural believes in my country (Ivory Coast), ghosts are cursed spirit or the representation of our ancestors. If the reality of ghosts and spirits can be interminably discussed, it is true that we are diversely affected in our societies by those ghosts and spirits. During a mental disorder problem, hallucination and delusion occur. They are the phenomenon that we consider as the main symptoms of what is qualified by Scientists (psychologists) as brain dysfunction and called schizophrenia. A person suffering from schizophrenia may hear voices, or see things (Hallucination). Others may experience some emotional disturbance or acting strangely (Delusion). Well, according to some people, these are the signs