Magic and the Mind

Magical thinking and behavior have traditionally been viewed as immature, misleading alternatives to scientific thought that in children inevitably diminish with age. In adults, these inclinations have been labeled by psychologists largely as superstitions that feed on frustration, uncertainty, and the unpredictable nature of certain human activities. In Magic and the Mind, Eugene Subbotsky provides an overview of the mechanisms and development of magical thinking and beliefs throughout the life span while arguing that the role of this type of thought in human development should be reconsidered. Rather than an impediment to scientific reasoning or a byproduct of cognitive development, in children magical thinking is an important and necessary complement to these processes, enhancing creativity at problem-solving and reinforcingcoping strategies, among other benefits. In adults, magical thinking and beliefs perform important functions both for individuals (coping with unsolvable problems and stressful situations) and for society (enabling mass influence and promoting social harmony). Operating in realms not bound by physical causality,such as emotion, relationships, and suggestion, magical thinking is an ongoing, developing psychological mechanism that, Subbotsky argues, is integral in the contexts of politics, commercial advertising, and psychotherapy, and undergirds our construction and understanding of meaning in both mental and physical worlds. Magic and the Mind represents a unique contribution to our understanding of the importance of magical thinking, offering experimental evidence and conclusions neverbefore collected in one source. It will be of interest to students and scholars of developmental psychology, as well as sociologists, anthropologists, and educators.

"In this bold, innovative lifework, Eugene Subbotsky lays the foundation of a cognitive-developmental-cultural science of magic. Based on decades of experimental work, measuring responses to garden-variety magic (magic boxes, wands, incantations and transformations), this book offers a comprehensive review of literature, a radically new theoretical frame, and a detailed developmental account, all with the aim of understanding the irrational, creative and meaningful role of magic in the context of modern life." -Carl N. Johnson, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh "Subbotsky has managed to integrate extensive research on the development of magical thinking into a coherent argument that ties together work on domain specificity, magical thinking, sympathetic magic, and religion. Magic and the Mind offers a fresh and provocative theoretical perspective." -Margaret Evans, Ph.D., University of Michigan "This is a ground-breaking book on one of human nature's most fascinating quirks: magical thinking. Subbotsky has written a clear and engaging account of his extensive study of this curious aspect of our psychology, seen in both children and adults. His work makes an important contribution." -Stuart Vyse, Ph.D., Connecticut College, author of Believing in Magic: The Psychology of Superstition "In this compelling overview, Eugene Subbotsky shows that magical thinking is not a passing phase of childhood. His ingenious experiments demonstrate that it is a foundational and enduring mode of thought--even if, as adults, we profess scientific rationality. His book makes a major contribution to ongoing debate about the relationship between religion and science." -Paul Harris, Ph.D., Victor S. Thomas Professor of Education, Harvard University "Magic and the Mind constitutes an extremely important contribution to our understanding of magic. [...] Subbotsky's work stands as an important challenge to this tradition [of rational thinking], one that should help us develop a more eclectic approach to human knowledge that accepts its heuristic nature and embraces its many sources and forms." --Edward Bever, Project Muse

Psychology Department, Lancaster University (UK)