Research Parapsychologists receive hundreds of calls and inquiries a year asking about parapsychology as an educational and career opportunity. Yet, many folks really have no idea what a parapsychologist is or does. This article attempts to answer those questions on a general scale and then offer links for more information to the interested reader.Anyone who watches television, or visits bookstores will most undoubtedly see or hear the title "parapsychologist" bandied around. Often this may be in context with other business-card titles, such as paranormal investigator, psychic, psi consultant, and yes, even ghostbuster. In many ways, these titles are tossed about haphazardly by the media. The general public is left with the feeling that they all reflect similar motivations and training. The title "parapsychologist" is borrowed by many and thrown into this mix for media attention. It is no wonder that confusions arise because of these misrepresentations.
Parapsychology is first and foremost a field of objective scientific inquiry. Just like any other scientific area it takes years of study, not only in your major field of interest, but also in the methodology and concerns specific to this field. The Parapsychological Association (an affiliate of the American Association for the Advancement of Science since 1969) defines parapsychology as the study of "apparent anomalies of behavior and experience which exist apart from currently known explanatory mechanisms which account for organism-environment and organism-organism information and influence flow."1 Researchers primarily study the cognitive anomalies commonly called ESP and PK, as well as a general category of Survival, such as suspected apparitions, reincarnation, and out-of-body experience (OBE)2. The key word here is "study" and parapsychologists are most likely to be behavioral, natural, or physical scientists with advanced degrees in these academic areas.
Several excellent articles are available3 discussing the pros and cons of parapsychology and its career outlook. The main message from these sources is that parapsychology is a scientific field of inquiry, conducted by scientists, following the rules of experimental design and methodology. Each scientist conducts research according to his or her own academic field's investigative procedures. Parapsychology includes a synthesis of several approaches to its questions, including methods from experimental laboratory, field research, survey research, demonstration research, process research and/or philosophical commentary. The bottom line recommendation is that each contributor to the field should have solid training and an advanced degree, in a traditional academic area.
If you are currently enrolled in a college or university, you may wish to discuss taking a general parapsychology course (often an adjunct to psychology) or independent study with your academic advisor. It may be possible to conduct independent research in parapsychology while still remaining in your traditional academic area. Then again, you have to weigh the soundness of even asking such a question... so many of the traditional schools and professors still frown on the study of parapsychology. Much will depend on the institution. Misconceptions and personal biases are often more prevalent than up-to-date information about the field.
Your educational decision will depend much on your objectives for this field: Do you want to conduct research? Utilizing which traditional orientation? Along which inquiry method(s)? Do you want to provide valid media commentary? Do you want to teach courses? Do you want to expand your area of expertise? Do you want to study for self-improvement?
What exactly is your motivation for studying parapsychology?
You will benefit greatly from accurate information by members of the Parapsychological Association and a personal investigation into this subject. There are many claimants today who have little or no information about parapsychology, yet present themselves as authorities on the subject. Be wary. Because parapsychology is first and foremost a science, a parapsychologist requires advanced training. Today, it is a long and often lonely road with few monetary and professional status rewards. Try to stay in a traditional area that accentuates critical thinking and gain your credentials first in that field. Later, you can augment your work to include anomalous cognition.
This advice is often discouraging and diametrically opposed to the media blitz presented by the enthusiastic proponents of psi. Check to see how many of these media stories present critical thinkers in the fields of psychology, biology, or physics. Does the speaker have a doctorate or represent a credible school or laboratory? You will find that most parapsychologists choose to remain in the background, shunning media attention, just because it is so often misrepresented or unrealistically hyped by the media. Although there are a notable few who represent our field extremely well to the press, most parapsychologists choose to work quietly, steadily, and methodically, in the background. They gather and analyze data, just like the majority of scientists in any area of inquiry.
Parapsychology demands, perhaps more than any other science, this rigorous process. We need excellent, creative, and precise investigators from all walks of objective thinking to build on this inquiry4. We need philosophers, commentators, and instructors who will represent parapsychology for what it is. This field is still relatively young and wide open. Below are listed several quality educational opportunities for you to explore, which may meet and/or augment your specific study objectives.
Click here for list of educational opportunities
1.Parapsychological Association (1988). Terms and Methods in Parapsychology. JASPR, 82, 353-357.
2. Parapsychology Frequently Asked Questions. Radin, D.I., (Ed.) http://eeyore.lv-hrc.nevada.edu/~cogno/para1.html
3. Stanford, Rex G. (1984) Parapsychology as a Career. Parapsychology Review, 15(5), 1-4.
4. Stevenson, Ian. (1988). Guest Editorial: Was the Attempt to Identify Parapsychology as a Separate Field Misguided? JASPR, 82, 309-317.
Suzanne V. Brown, PhD. is an experimental cognitive psychologist.
She enjoys independent research, teaching, and writing on topics in parapsychology.