Editing Magical thinking (section)

== Causes ==
[[File:Healing "laying on of hands" ceremony in the Pentecostal Church of God. Lejunior, Harlan County, Kentucky. - NARA - 541337.jpg|right|thumb|A healing ritual (the [[laying on of hands]])]]
According to theories of anxiety relief and control, people turn to magical beliefs when there exists a sense of uncertainty and potential danger, and with little access to logical or scientific responses to such danger. Magic is used to restore a sense of control over circumstance. In support of this theory, research indicates that superstitious behavior is invoked more often in high stress situations, especially by people with a greater desire for control.<ref>{{cite journal |last= Keinan |first= Giora |title= The effects of stress and desire for control on superstitious behavior |journal= Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin |volume= 28 |issue= 1 |pages= 102–108|year = 2002 |doi=  10.1177/0146167202281009|s2cid= 145223253 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last= Keinan |first= Giora |title= The effects of stress and tolerance of ambiguity on magical thinking |journal= Journal of Personality and Social Psychology |volume= 67 |issue=  1 |pages= 48–55 |year= 1994 |doi=  10.1037/0022-3514.67.1.48 }}</ref>

[[Pascal Boyer|Boyer]] and Liénard propose that in [[obsessive-compulsive]] rituals — a possible clinical model for certain forms of magical thinking — focus shifts to the lowest level of gestures, resulting in goal demotion. For example, an obsessive-compulsive cleaning ritual may overemphasize the order, direction, and number of wipes used to clean the surface. The goal becomes less important than the actions used to achieve the goal, with the implication that magic rituals can persist without efficacy because the intent is lost within the act.<ref name="Boyer">{{cite journal |last1=Boyer |first1=Pascal |author-link=Pascal Boyer |last2=Liénard |first2=Pierre |year=2008 |title=Ritual behavior in obsessive and normal individuals |journal=Current Directions in Psychological Science |volume=17 |issue=4 |pages=291–94 |citeseerx=10.1.1.503.1537 |doi=10.1111/j.1467-8721.2008.00592.x |s2cid=145218875}}</ref> Alternatively, some cases of harmless "rituals" may have positive effects in bolstering intent, as may be the case with certain pre-game exercises in sports.<ref>{{cite web|title = Why Rituals Work|url = http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-rituals-work |website=[[Scientific American]] |access-date = 2015-12-17}}</ref>

Some scholars believe that [[Psychological theories of magic|magic is effective psychologically]]. They cite the [[Placebo|placebo effect]] and [[Somatoform disorder|psychosomatic disease]] as prime examples of how our mental functions exert power over our bodies.<ref>{{harvnb|Glucklich|1997|pp= 50–68}}</ref> 

=== Phenomenological approach ===
Ariel Glucklich tries to understand magic from a subjective perspective, attempting to comprehend magic on a [[Phenomenology (psychology)|phenomenological]], [[wikt:experiential|experiential]]ly based level. Glucklich seeks to describe the attitude that magical practitioners feel what he calls "magical consciousness" or the "magical experience". He explains that it is based upon "the awareness of the interrelatedness of all things in the world by means of simple but refined sense perception."<ref>{{harvnb|Glucklich|1997|p=12}}</ref>

Another phenomenological model is that of Gilbert Lewis, who argues that "habit is unthinking". He believes that those practicing magic do not think of an explanatory theory behind their actions any more than the average person tries to grasp the pharmaceutical workings of aspirin.<ref>{{cite book |last= Lewis |first= Gilbert |title= The Look of Magic |publisher= University of Cambridge}}</ref>  When the average person takes an aspirin, he does not know how the medicine chemically functions. He takes the pill with the premise that there is proof of efficacy. Similarly, many who avail themselves of magic do so without feeling the need to understand a [[causal]] theory behind it.

According to Eric Fromm (1950), [[Superstition]] beliefs nurtured by religious or cultural exposure often influences a concept of locus of control.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=2019-04-30 |title=Moderating roles of external locus of control and knowledge expertise on the relationship between superstitious belief and stock trading performance |url=https://doi.org/10.34044/j.kjss.2019.40.1.03 |journal=Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences |doi=10.34044/j.kjss.2019.40.1.03 |issn=2452-3151|doi-access=free }}</ref> Adversity has a greater effect on a person's external locus of control, and magical thinking can therefore be utilized as a coping mechanism for the lack of control in one's life experiences (Stanke<ref>{{Cite journal |date=2019-04-30 |title=Moderating roles of external locus of control and knowledge expertise on the relationship between superstitious belief and stock trading performance |url=https://doi.org/10.34044/j.kjss.2019.40.1.03 |journal=Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences |doi=10.34044/j.kjss.2019.40.1.03 |issn=2452-3151|doi-access=free }}</ref>). Superstition-based magical thinking can be potentially harmful for those involved, as it ultimately decreases the amount of [[internal locus of control]] in an individual. This can cause unusual behavior in extreme cases reminiscent of symptoms of mental illnesses <ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-11-28 |title=Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder: What to know |url=https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/327158#symptoms |access-date=2025-04-20 |website=www.medicalnewstoday.com |language=en}}</ref>such as [[Obsessive–compulsive personality disorder|OCPD]] and psychosis.

The average case of magical thinking takes the form of manifesting a dream life, or superstitious beliefs such as the unlucky number 13. [[Piaget's theory of cognitive development|Piaget]] claims that  children are especially inclined to use such thinking during their early developmental stages (before the age of 8), as they are more susceptible to believing in magic because of their egocentrism.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Magical thinking {{!}} Psychology & Cognitive Development {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/science/magical-thinking |access-date=2025-05-13 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>