The paranormal is a term used to describe phenomena that are believed to be supernatural and outside of the scope of scientific explanation. These phenomena include ghosts, UFOs, and extra sensory perception (ESP). Many people who believe in the paranormal find it fascinating to study such events. There are even organizations that specialize in studying them, such as the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSICOP). Despite the fact that these events cannot be scientifically proven, there are a number of psychological and sociological issues related to paranormal phenomena.
One of the major problems with studying these phenomena is that it can be very difficult to gather acceptable physical evidence. For example, it is very hard to accurately document personal experiences that involve seeing things or hearing things that are not present, and humans are notoriously bad at conveying their own feelings to others. This makes it very difficult to do controlled A vs B type experiments.
In addition, a lot of previous research on the subject has focused on paranormal beliefs and their negative consequences. However, these results have mainly been based on correlations and have ignored the possibility that psychopathology-related factors may interact with paranormal belief to affect psychological well-being. This is important because previous studies have typically analyzed paranormal beliefs in isolation, without considering cognitive-perceptual personality factors that askew thinking and insight. Using interpretive phenomenological analysis, Drinkwater and colleagues (2013) found that the justification of professed paranormal powers provided interviewees with a sense of meaning and coherence, and helped them to cope with loss.