Therapeutic encounters and the elicitation of community care.
Leander Steinkopf, Mícheál De Barra
Behavioral and Brain Sciences January 2018 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x17002175 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that shamanic healing and modern medical care share an evolutionary dynamic in which both healers and patients have a mutual interest in convincingly performing their roles to onlookers, with shamans creating convincing healing spectacles and sick individuals convincingly expressing symptoms to motivate community care. |
Abstract
Singh's analysis of shamanism is regarded as a contribution to the evolutionary study of healing encounters and evolutionary medicine. Shamans must create convincing healing spectacles, while sick individuals must convincingly express symptoms and suffering to motivate community care. Both have a shared interest in convincing onlookers. This is not restricted to shamanic treatment, but is still true in modern medical care.