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Why is PSI so elusive? A review and proposed model
Journal of Parapsychology, The, Sept, 2001 by J.E. Kennedy
Representative national surveys in 13 countries found that reports of psychic experiences were associated with spiritual beliefs (Haraldsson & Houtkooper, 1991). A smaller study found suggestive evidence that reporting a paranormal experience was correlated with spirituality being an important purpose of life (Kennedy & Kanthamani, 1995b). The weak associations in these studies may be due to the lack of information about the number of psychic experiences. More experiences appear to be associated with greater effects on worldview (Kennedy & Kanthamani, 1995a). Religious literature has long indicated that paranormal phenomena are associated with religious or spiritual beliefs (McClenon, 1994; Pratt, Rhine, Smith, Stuart, & Greenwood, 1940, pp. 4-6).
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For the great majority of spontaneous psi experiences, the primary result for the people involved appears to be an awareness that something exceptional happened, with no other practical benefit. An examination of reports in spontaneous case collections such as that of Louisa Rhine (1981) readily supports this point. In the cases with high emotion such as awareness of a death, the psi experience usually does not alter the outcome of events, only the worldview relating to the events. Further, the relatively few situations that involve tangible benefits may be vehicles for this transformative function rather than indicating that psi is directed by other human motivations as traditionally assumed in parapsychology.
This hypothesis suggests that psi experiences are specifically intended to be noticed as exceptional. It shifts the focus of research away from speculations about frequent, unnoticed psi.
The inconsistent nature of psi may be useful or even necessary for psi to have this effect. If psi were predictable and usefully reliable, it would likely be viewed as another physical principle. The defining characteristic of the established physical forces is that they are predictable. The theories or concepts to explain these forces have changed greatly over time and have been labels on unknown processes more than true descriptions of reality. Reliable psi effects would not have the mysterious implications and meanings that result from elusive psi phenomena. From a psychological perspective, Braud (1985) pointed out that the intermittent occurrence of psi in both experiments and spontaneous cases is the type of reinforcement schedule that generates extremely stable and persistent behavior. This intermittent reinforcement may optimize interest in the phenomena and associated worldviews.
Opposing Arguments
The weak associations between psi experiences and spiritual beliefs in the multinational study (Haraldsson & Houtkooper, 1991) suggest that psi at best has only a slight effect on spirituality. The size of the associations is equivalent to correlations of less than .15 for most of the results.
More frequent and stronger psi would induce greater changes in worldview. Psi does not appear to be optimized for maximum effects on worldview, and therefore, it is unlikely that the primary function of psi is to change worldview.
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