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H J Irwin

1 paper in the library · publishing 1981

Papers

The psychological function of out-of-body experiences. So who needs the out-of-body experience?

The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease April 1, 1981 H J Irwin

People who report out-of-body experiences (OBEs) tend to be especially attentive to their own mental processes, according to a review of diverse literature and a survey of students. The study used Murray's system of manifest needs to test several hypotheses. Only one hypothesis was supported: OBE reporters are concerned with their inner mental life. Unexpectedly, these individuals also showed low levels of need for achievement and need for deference. The authors conclude that much more research into psychological, parapsychological, and neurophysiological correlates is needed to develop a sophisticated theory of the OBE.