Shamanism in Cross-Cultural Perspective
July 1, 2012 DOI: 10.24972/ijts.2012.31.2.47 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review |
|---|---|
| Topics | Shamanism |
| Key findings | Argues that a cross-cultural concept of shamans is empirically supported and that shamanism's origins and diversity are explained by psychobiological aspects of altered states of consciousness and social influences. |
Abstract
This article reviews the origins of the concept of the shaman and the principal sources of controversy regarding the existence and nature of shamanism. Confusion regarding the nature of shamanism is clarified with a review of research providing empirical support for a cross-cultural concept of shamans that distinguishes them from related shamanistic healers. The common shamanistic universals involving altered states of consciousness are examined from psychobiological perspectives to illustrate shamanism’s relationships to human nature. Common biological aspects of altered states of consciousness help explain the origins of shamanism while social influences on this aspect of human nature help to explain the diverse manifestations of shamanistic phenomena involving an elicitation of endogenous healing responses.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on shamanism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hallucinogenic Drugs and Plants in Psychotherapy and Shamanism | 1998 | Review | |
| Hallucinogenic Mushrooms in Mexico: An Overview | 2008 | Review | |
| Healing, spirituality and integrative medicine. | 2017 | Review | |
| Introduction: Evidence for entheogen use in prehistory and world religions | 2019 | Review | |
| The Evolved Psychology of Psychedelic Set and Setting: Inferences Regarding the Roles of Shamanism and Entheogenic Ecopsychology | 2021 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 12
- Modulatory effects of ayahuasca on personality structure in a traditional framework Psychopharmacology July 23, 2020
- Scoping review on shamanistic trances practices. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies November 4, 2024
- Phenomenological characteristics of auto-induced cognitive trance and Mahorikatan® trance. Neuroscience of Consciousness 2024
- Getting high with the most high: Entheogens in the Old Testament Journal of Psychedelic Studies March 7, 2019
- Mother Schema, Obstetric Dilemma, and the Origin of Behavioral Modernity. Behavioral Sciences December 6, 2019
and 7 more in the library
Cites 9
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- Magico-Religious Practitioner Types and Socioeconomic Conditions Cross-Cultural Research February 1, 1986
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and 4 more in the library