Abuso y abandono infantil y estilo parental dominante en relación con las experiencias paranormales en la adultez / Negative childhood experiences, parental styles and resilience among people who report paranormal experiences

RESUMEN

Resumen El trauma infantil puede conducir al desarrollo de una personalidad propensa a la fantasía y, luego, desarrollar creencias y experiencias paranormales como estrategia de afrontamiento a la ansiedad durante la vida adulta. Se administró la Encuesta de Experiencias Paranormales, el Cuestionario de Experiencias Negativas en la Niñez, y la Escala de Estilos Parentales a una muestra compuesta por 644 individuos Los resultados indican alta frecuencia de experiencias tales como sensación de presencia (58 %), sueños premonitorios (56 %), telepatía (41 %), experiencias místicas (40 %), apariciones (38 %) y experiencia fuera del cuerpo (25 %). Además, se plantearon dos hipótesis: (H1) en la que se encontraría una relación positiva y significativa entre las experiencias negativas en la niñez (abuso y abandono) y la frecuencia de experiencias paranormales en la vida adulta, lo cual se confirmó (rs = .27, Sig. < .001), con correlaciones fuertes para experiencias tales como sensación de presencia (rs = .23) y apariciones (rs = .19); y (H2) que muestra a individuos que reportan mayor frecuencia de experiencias paranormales y tenderían a mostrar un estilo parental más autoritario en comparación con un estilo parental negligente, sobreprotector, permisivo y autoritativo, lo cual se confirmó para madre: χ2 = 18.24, p < .001, en comparación con un estilo parental negligente, sobreprotector, autoritario y autoritativo. Una posible interpretación es que los eventos traumáticos en la niñez son no solo la fuente para la emergencia de las experiencias paranormales, sino un estilo parental autoritario que contribuye a reforzar el modo en que se procesan cognitiva y emocionalmente tales experiencias negativas.

ABSTRACT

Abstract Child trauma can lead to the development of a personality fantasy prone and life, to develop paranormal beliefs and experiences as a strategy to cope with anxiety during adulthood. In other words, beliefs and paranormal experiences can be a system of representations that allow us to give sense and meaning to control trauma anxiety, and in general an illusion of control over future disturbing events. There are relatively few studies examining the parental style and paranormal experiences/beliefs, therefore, the aim of this study is to measure the dominant parental style of those who have experienced paranormal events and their correlate with negative events in childhood. The Survey of Paranormal Experiences, the Survey of Negative Experiences in Children, and the Scale of Parental Styles were administered to a sample of 644 individuals of both sexes 28 % males and 72 % females (Mean = 28.13 years) in a simple intentional non-probabilistic sampled technique. The results showed high frequency of experiences such as Sense of presence (58 %), Premonitory dreams (56 %), Telepathy (41 %), Mystical experiences (40 %), Apparitions (38 %), and Out-of-Body experiences (25 %). The results confirmed hypotheses which predict (H1) a positive and significant relationship will be found between negative experiences in childhood and the frequency of paranormal experiences in adult life which was confirmed (rs = .27, p < .001); and (H2) individuals who reported a higher frequency of paranormal experiences showed a more Authoritarian parenting style compared to a Negligent, Overprotective, Permissive and Authoritative parenting style, which was confirmed for Mother χ2 = 18.24, p < .001, but not for Father, who showed a more Permissive style χ2 = 8.11, p < .001 compared to a negligent, overprotective, authoritarian and authoritative parenting style. The results here support, in part, the idea that adult paranormality is an adaptive mechanism that helps individuals cope with an absence of control in childhood. For example, when the parents do not meet the physical, psychological, and/or emotional needs of the child, who ends up being explicitly insulted, ridiculed, shouted at, emotionally manipulated, or unfairly blamed by parents- One possible interpretation is that traumatic events in childhood are not only the source for the emergence of other paranormal experiences but a permissive and negligent parental style helps to reinforce the way in which these negative experiences are processed cognitive and emotionally. The parental bond in childhood and throughout life, can also function as a modulator of the occurrence of the paranormal experience. The parental bond in childhood and throughout life, can also function as a modulator of the occurrence of the paranormal experience. Consequently, the behavior of the parents is an easily available model that children imitate involuntarily. The parental bond in childhood and throughout life can also function as a modulator of the occurrence of paranormal experiences and, to some extent, its cognitive adaptation. In this way, internalization can be a much more active process by which parents strive to inculcate their own beliefs in their children, which may involve an explicit program of instruction and positive encouragement but sometimes a degree of coercion and punishment for their breach as well. Therefore, through the process of internalization, the parents' beliefs can be assimilated into the children's own frame of reference and their anomalous experiences. Parents showed a more permissive parenting style, characterized by greater receptivity than demand, that is, parents are more lenient and tended to give in to the demands of their children and give them support, this parenting style significantly favored such paranormal experiences as sense of presence and "seeing" ghosts.