Psychic

In the field of parapsychology, a psychic (From the Greek psychikos, “of the soul, mental,” derived from psyche, “soul, mind”) is an individual who has a relatively high degree of psi ability. A psychic is defined as one who possesses the ability to experience extra-sensory perception, such as clairvoyance, psychometry, and precognition, or have other paranormal abilities such as psychokinesis. The scientific field which studies such paranormal abilities is called parapsychology. Outside parapsychology, the existence of psychic abilities is not recognized by many in the scientific community. The term psychic is also common outside of parapsychology, in casual usage.

Scientific views

Main article: parapsychology

The issue of whether or not psychic abilities are real is controversial within science. Parapsychological researchers such as Dr. Dean Radin, President of the Parapsychological Association, say that there is evidence from many rigorous scientific experiments for such psychic abilities as psychokinesis, telepathy, and clairvoyance.

However, there is no generally accepted scientific evidence for the existence of psychic phenomena, and some scientists, skeptics and philosophers consider the entire field of parapsychology a pseudoscience. Skeptics, both from the scientific and the illusionist communities, attribute some of the more popular of these phenomena such as mediumism, to documented techniques such as cold reading. Magicians such as Ian Rowland and Derren Brown have demonstrated techniques and results similar to those of popular psychics, but they proffer psychological explanations instead of paranormal ones. They have identified, described and developed complex psychological techniques of cold reading and hot reading.

The term in religious doctrine

The term "psychic" is also featured in many variations of Gnosticism. For a brief treatment of the subject, and how psychics related to pneumatics and hylics in the Gnostic hierarchy, see hylics.

The Bahá'í faith acknowledges the reality of the potential of psychic ability, but characterizes many claims as false[1]. Of the true ability itself, it is suggested that individuals do not seek to develop it as it is said to be an unnatural condition perhaps hurting the development of the soul, and that the natural practice of that ability is a gift from the next world. However there is a distinction made between innate psychic ability and a gift of the Holy Spirit - while the former is to be avoided, the second is to be lauded and the first is often faked while the second is rare and precious. See external links below.

Popular culture

Belief in psychic abilities remains popular. One 2006 poll, for example, showed that college seniors and graduate students have more paranormal beliefs than college freshmen.

Psychic characters are common in fiction as well. For example, The Dead Zone by Stephen King (and the film and TV series based on it) are about a psychic named Johnny Smith whose abilities are awakened after a car accident.

Psychic is also the name of a song performed by the artist Vanessa Hudgens.

See also

• Parapsychology
• Clairvoyance
• Psychometry
• Cold reading
• Psychic detective
• Remote viewing
• Psychokinesis
• Precognition
• Telepathy
• Psionics
• Hylics
• Medium (spirituality)

External links

• The Society for Psychical Research — Founded in 1882 to examine paranormal phenomena scientifically
• James Randi Educational Foundation — An Educational Resource on the Paranormal, Pseudoscientific, and the Supernatural
• Alternative Science - Criticisms of James Randi's $1 million challenge
• Skeptic's Dictionary — Psychic