Transcript blogs.qub.ac.uk

Paranormal Belief
A Study of People's Belief's in the Paranormal
Introduction
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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
Rural/Urban Storytelling Impact
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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
Age, Gender and Belief
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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:
Contemporary Professionalism in
Paranormal Belief
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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
Paranormal Belief in Tourism and
Culture
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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
The Religious Impact
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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
Paranormal Encounters and Case
Study
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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