Joseph Polimeni

2 papers in the library · 5 citations · publishing 2018-2022

Papers

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The Shamanistic Theory of Schizophrenia: The Evidence for Schizophrenia as a Vestigial Phenotypic Behavior Originating in Paleolithic Shamanism

Journal of Anthropological and Archaeological Sciences January 26, 2022 Joseph Polimeni 5 citations

In its simplest form, the shamanistic theory of schizophrenia proposes that the core features of schizophrenia are akin to the primary qualities of shamanism; and that psychosis provided certain evolutionary advantages to prehistoric hominid tribes. The idea that shamanism could be comparable to medical forms of insanity can be traced back to early academic expeditions assigned to explore the...

DOI: 10.32474/jaas.2022.06.000238 Full text Shamanism Insanity Schizophrenia object-oriented programming Prehistory +1

Psychosis is episodically required for the enduring integrity of shamanism.

Behavioral and Brain Sciences January 2018 Joseph Polimeni

The target article advances several original concepts about shamanism, including prospective explanations for how shamanism could express itself in different cultural settings. Although the potential for "innate psychological tendencies" is acknowledged, the target article prematurely dismisses one such hard-wired feature of shamanism: psychosis.

DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x17002138 Full text