Durban - Although science has shown most superstitions to be fallacy, superstitious fears can arise in anyone – even in intelligent and sane people who feel threatened by forces that lie beyond their control.
People fear what they don’t understand and from this fear certain rituals (or superstitions) arise as a way of protecting themselves from bad luck. People acknowledge their “silly” feelings even if they laugh at themselves for doing so – perhaps when experiencing some anxiety over a broken mirror or crossing their fingers.
That vague, nagging feeling that supernatural or magical forces could be influencing events in our lives must have been much stronger in our ancestors who lived in a world that teemed with hostile spirits.
They believed that demons lurked everywhere and had to be appeased in order to avoid bad luck. Nowadays, such beliefs have lost much of their power.
Of course, we still have to live with many things that we don’t quite understand but, thanks to scientific and technological advances, we have acquired enough knowledge to cope with our uncertainties with less discomfort.
What feeds superstitious behaviour?
Superstitions help some people cope with uncertainty by creating a sense that a higher power may be bringing them luck or good fortune. People in rural communities may hang horseshoes (resembling the letter U) above their doorways to collect good luck. The U-shape presumably ensures that the luck doesn’t fall out.
For others, rituals may help them to focus on a particular task or relax in a tough situation. Sportsmen and women are well known for this behaviour. The late Hugh “Toey” Tayfield, one of South Africa’s greatest cricketers, tapped his toe on the ground each time he was about to bowl.
Even the mighty, according to reports, have had their pet superstitions. Napoleon lived in fear of black cats; Churchill used to touch them for good luck. Rockefeller carried a lucky stone from an eagle’s nest, and the philanthropist, Alfred Vanderbilt, protected himself from evil spirits by sleeping only in beds with the legs placed in containers holding salt water.
Even though most people accept that there is no proven link between rituals and good luck, their minds appear to be programmed to look for connections, and when they do find such a connection, they jump to the conclusion that their (odd) action caused this. This is why a gambler who wins after blowing on a dice is likely to repeat this ritual on future occasions.
Do superstitions help?
Research shows that millions of people look for ways to ward off bad luck.
A few months back, to satisfy my own curiosity, I conducted a survey using a random sample of 100 people. I found:
* 58 percent of the respondents felt at least a little superstitious;
* 25 percent touched wood for good luck;
* 38 percent reported feeling uneasy when a black cat crossed their path;
* 18 percent avoided walking under a ladder;
* 24 percent worried that breaking a mirror would bring seven years’ of bad luck;
* 35 percent feared the number 13 (triskaidekaphobia).
In general, I agree that superstitious behaviour should not be encouraged. But, in one corner of my mind, a little voice pipes up: if a particular superstition helps a person to get through a challenging situation, that’s harmless.
If, for instance, believing that using one’s “lucky pen” helps one to pass an exam, then why go against that?
But a superstition, if carried to extremes – as in obsessive compulsive behaviour (OCD), a condition characterised by rituals – can paralyse people’s lives.
In such cases, the sufferer feels that he has to perform a particular task in some predetermined way a set number of times in order to ward off some “disastrous” consequence.
Examples might include checking, many times over, that he has locked the doors after parking his car – or turning the lights on and off a stipulated number of times before he leaves his room.
Such repeated actions detract from the quality of a sufferer’s life.
OCD rituals
People with severe OCD may use up several hours each day carrying out their compulsive rituals, leaving little time for other important daily chores.
The OCD person often justifies his repetitive and rigid behaviour by arguing that it’s better to be safe than sorry.
But this much seems clear, superstitious fears are likely to continue arising to some extent in all of us – irrespective of social class, religion or nationality – who feel threatened by forces more powerful than ourselves.
The form that the superstition takes will be determined by environmental and cultural factors, but its basic function is likely to remain the same.
Daily News
* Ramphal is an educational psychologist and career counsellor. Visit www.ramphaledupsych.co.za