Psychosis is episodically required for the enduring integrity of shamanism.
Joseph Polimeni
Behavioral and Brain Sciences January 2018 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x17002138 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Commentary Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Shamanism |
| Key points | Argues that the target article prematurely dismisses psychosis as one of the "innate psychological tendencies" that may underlie shamanism, and contends that psychosis should be taken seriously as a hard-wired feature relevant to explaining shamanism across cultures. |
Abstract
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.