An existential perspective on the psychological function of shamans.
Simon Schindler, Jeff Greenberg, Stefan Pfattheicher
Behavioral and Brain Sciences January 2018 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x17002163 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that shamanism developed and is maintained largely because it buffers death anxiety: shamans' claimed supernatural abilities provide both hope for averting death and evidence for a spirit world offering continuance beyond death. |
Abstract
Shamans deal with events that involve the threat of death. They help buffer death anxiety because, through their claimed supernatural abilities, they can provide both hope for averting death and evidence for existence of a spirit world offering continuance beyond death. Thus, managing the threat of mortality probably played a major role in the development and maintenance of shamanism.