Sensation Seeking Behavior

There are three different theories that are used when talking about how we react to stress through the physiological aspect or the psychological aspect. The first is part of the physiological aspect of stress called the Cannon Fight or Flight theory which was proposed in 1914. Fight or Flight response is a physiological stress response that evolved to help organisms to survive immediate danger. The theory states that when an organism, human being or animal, faces imminent danger (acute stressor) the body arouses quickly and is ready to act via two different systems. They are the sympathetic nervous system and the endocrine system. The sympathetic nervous system stimulates the adrenal medulla which is part of the endocrine system and is the region that produces the hormones such as adrenaline and noradrenaline. These hormones increase heart rate, blood flow, and glucose levels to prepare the body for an emergency. This response from the body suggests that the body knows how to protect itself and reach homeostasis. These two systems work together to either fight against the danger or flight away from the danger. Lord, King and Pfister in 1976 studied the Fight or Flight response in animals through a very unethical study. They administered chemicals on male hooded Wistar rats which inhibited the neurotransmitters from functioning normally. This made it very difficult for the rats to escape an electric shock. The results of the study suggest that the Flight or Fight response

Throughout human history people have sought experiences that somehow transcend every day life. Some sort of wisdom that might progress their knowledge of self and of the world that they live in. For some reason they believed that the tangible world just could not be all there is to life. Some believed in a greater force that controlled them, some believed of invisible beings that influenced their lives, some of an actual other world that paralleled their own. Many of these people also believed that it was possible to catch a glimpse of these forces, beings, or worlds through a variety of means that propel individuals into altered states of consciousness. These techniques include

The assigned readings present multiple occult beliefs, and describe potential causes and reinforcers. Alcock (1995) held the view that the brain and nervous system worked together to create beliefs targeting survival, while Singer and Benassi (1981) believed social, environmental, and cognitive factors acted in separate ways to reinforce occult beliefs. Parallels exist between contributing factors desccrive by Singer and Benassi (1981) and the seven units listed by Alcock (1995); however, Alcock (1995) described them as causes of the belief engine, while Singer and Benassi (1981) described them as factors contributing to the support and growth of occult beliefs.

Very little is known about the nature of the human mind. The mental and social life of humans is based on the mind, yet not much is known about it and the extent to which it can go. In all cultures there is a belief about the mind, the heart, and the soul, with a variety of notions about these parts of the human being. Psyche in its ancient sense is extended to limits that go beyond the human body in many of the existing cultures. Surveys that have been done in most countries of the West, Britain, and the U.S have consistently shown that a significant portion of the populations in these regions believe in the occurrence of psychic phenomenon and more than fifty percent believe that they have at one point or another personally experienced it (Sheldrake 102). Considering these beliefs and experiences, it is senseless to claim that the mind is only restricted to the brain. This makes the advocates of mechanistic orthodoxy make an assertion that since paranormal phenomena lacks a scientific explanation, it is non-existent. According to scientific education, this is regarded as superstition but there still calls for need of more study and research into this widespread phenomenon.

Spirituality gives meaning and purposes to their belief (51). In Reconnecting science and spirituality, Walach defines spirituality as “a way to understand the natural makeup of the world by means of rational methods of inquiry”. This quotes allows the world to have faith in their own beliefs (425). The happenings in Hydesville involving the Fox sisters started to increase the rate of mediums around the world (Walliss 129). Spiritualism started to have a greater influence of people’s lives. People started to go to mediums to communicate with lost love ones. Spiritualism was given closures to people in the world (Walliss

Everything happens for a reason. Some individuals believe that they are the reason behind everything that occurs to them. Other individuals believe in a higher power that predestines them to a certain fate. There are still yet some individuals who fall in between both aspects of personality studies. A non-complex description of this is how my religion can be evaluated through the locus of control. I know a tad surprising, but religion just like in many aspects of the world places an enormous amount of emphasis on what I say or do each day. When I go to Sunday mass, I feel more relaxed about what is yet to come the next day because I have made the effort to acknowledge my rights as well as my wrongs in front of God. While on the other hand, when something doesn’t go my way I feel the need to condemn God and ask Him, “Why have you placed this obstacle in my way?” This brings me to my research question; does my external locus of control affect my behavior? After acquiring some knowledge on the topic in class and from previous readings, I have hypothesized that external locus of control does affect behavior. I will now introduce locus of control, provide evidence that supports my hypothesis, and review the main aspects of my argument.

The physiological explanation attributes the impression of paranormal activity to physical causes such as tilted floors, unsquared rooms, blood sugar imbalances and eye floaters (McCue, 2002, p. 6). Lastly, the parapsychological theory includes phenomena that cannot be explained through physical or psychological factors.

Since then conservative ideology and federal laws have prevented research or studies into entheogens and the human mind. To understand whether or not entheogens can produce religious experiences it important to understand the parameters and definitions that make up the typology of religious experiences, the effects of entheogens like lysergic acid diethylamide on the human mind, and previous case studies that tried to understand the relationship between entheogens and religious experience.

Over many years, people have been inquisitive about abnormal behaviours within their societies and beyond. A typical question pertaining to these behaviours is, “why is he behaving this way.” According to DSM-IV-TR, abnormal behaviour is defined as a person who experiences behavioural, cognitive or emotional dysfunction, associated with distress and atypical in his cultural context (Barlow, Durand, 2009). However, the quest for answers and remedies has drifted people from scientific models to traditional ones. One of such models is supernatural.

There is a driving force, whether one believes it or not, everyone should respect that. This would be the essence of what Nietzsche would call Will to power. The understanding for Tongans and Hawaiians in particular, is to be a part of both worlds, and psychic, in its original form. The belief systems that I genealogically derive from, talks about an idea of the underworld and a world above. Even if one is to look at their own genealogy, they would be able to find this belief of some sort in them.

The one character (serial killer) who felt like he didn’t have a sense of control went to a physic in attempt to get a glimpse of what will happen in the future so he could control variables in his life. When a person feels as though he/she doesn’t have control over or lose their sense of control they become curious on how to either regain control or gain control on the unexpected. Just like the saying goes, “Curiosity killed the

From the classical school’s perspective, crime is a rationally reasoned behavior that happens unless punishment is applied (Lilly, Cullen, & Ball 20). Philosophers, like Cesare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham, would claim that Michael Sykes, the perpetrator, was a rational being that pursued his own self-interests and attempted to increase his pleasure and decrease his pain. From the beginning, Sykes took Cutler and her children to breakfast, proving he was capable of being rational and calm, but at the hotel, Sykes needed to stop the argument, which resulted in the stabbing the Cutler and her three children. Classical School philosophers’ would claim that Sykes chose to commit this crime because he has free will; Sykes is capable of calculating

However, a criticism of the Good Friday experiment, (1962), is the type of questions used in the questionnaire, in which it asks participants about their loss of conscious state. For example, in two of the questions used to regulate the presence of a sense of unity only needed participates to rate the degree to which they felt they had lost their sense or experienced a loss of their own identity. The problem with these types of questions is that it’s very weak because participants can give a high rating without actually experiencing anything to do with mystical experience (Doblin, 1991).

Abnormal is something deviating from what is normal or usual, typical in a way that is uncommon or irregular.

the paranormal with as much respect and analysis as physics or the chaos theory."13 The