Editing Poltergeist

{{Short description|Ghost that causes physical disturbance}}
{{Other uses}}
[[File:Poltergeist-Therese Selles.jpg|thumb|Artist conception of poltergeist activity claimed by Thérèse Selles, a 14-year-old domestic servant of the Todescini family at Cheragas, Algeria. From the French magazine ''La Vie Mystérieuse'' in 1911.]]
In [[German folklore]] and [[ghostlore]], a '''poltergeist''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|oʊ|l|t|ər|ˌ|g|aɪ|s|t}} or {{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|ɒ|l|t|ər|ˌ|g|aɪ|s|t}}; {{IPA|de|ˈpɔltɐɡaɪ̯st|lang|De-Poltergeist.ogg}}; {{gloss|rumbling ghost}} or {{gloss|noisy spirit}}) is a type of [[ghost]] or spirit that is responsible for physical disturbances, such as loud noises and objects being moved or destroyed. Most claims or fictional descriptions of poltergeists show them as being capable of [[pinch (action)|pinch]]ing, [[biting]], [[strike (attack)|hitting]], and tripping people. They are also depicted as capable of the movement or [[levitation (paranormal)|levitation]] of objects such as furniture and cutlery, or noises such as knocking on doors. Foul smells are also associated with poltergeist occurrences, as well as spontaneous fires and different electrical issues such as flickering lights.<ref>{{Cite web|title=poltergeist {{!}} Chambers Dictionary of the Unexplained - Credo Reference|url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/chambun/poltergeist/0|access-date=2022-02-18|website=search.credoreference.com}}</ref>

These manifestations have been recorded in many cultures and countries, including Brazil, Australia, the United States, Japan and most European nations. The first recorded cases date back to the 1st century.

Skeptics explain poltergeists as juvenile tricksters fooling credulous adults.

==Etymology==
The word ''poltergeist'' comes from the [[German language]] words {{lang|de|poltern}} {{gloss|to make sound, to rumble}} and {{lang|de|[[Geist]]}} {{gloss|ghost, spirit}} and the term itself translates as {{gloss|noisy ghost}}, {{gloss|rumble-ghost}} or a {{gloss|loud spirit}}.

==Suggested explanations==
===Hoax===
{{Paranormal}}Many claims have been made that poltergeist activity explains strange events (including those by modern self-styled ghost hunters), however, their evidence has so far not stood up to scrutiny.<ref>Aliens, Ghosts, and Cults: Legends We Live. Bill Ellis. 2001</ref> Many claimed poltergeist events have been proven upon investigation to be [[hoax]]es.<ref>[[Terence Hines|Hines, Terence]]. (2003). ''Pseudoscience and the Paranormal''. Prometheus Books. p. 98. {{ISBN|978-1573929790}}</ref>

[[Psychic]]al researcher [[Frank Podmore]] proposed the 'naughty little girl' theory for poltergeist cases (many of which have seemed to centre on an adolescent, usually a girl).<ref name= "Hall 1958">[[Eric Dingwall|Dingwall, John]]; [[Trevor H. Hall|Hall, Trevor H]]. (1958). ''Four Modern Ghosts''. Duckworth. pp. 13–14</ref> He found that the centre of the disturbance was often a child who was throwing objects around to fool or scare people for attention.<ref name= "Hall 1958"/><ref>[[Arthur Goldstuck|Goldstuck, Arthur]]. ''The Ghost that Closed Down the Town: The Story of the Haunting of South Africa''. Penguin Books. p. 275. {{ISBN|978-0143025054}} "Podmore advanced a 'naughty little girl' theory, suggesting that trickery accounted for nearly all poltergeist manifestations, and that the girls and boys who so often seemed to be the victims of poltergeists were actually pulling the strings."</ref> Skeptical investigator [[Joe Nickell]] says that claimed poltergeist incidents typically originate from "an individual who is motivated to cause mischief".<ref name="Nickell2012">{{cite book|author=Joe Nickell|author-link=Joe Nickell|title=The Science of Ghosts: Searching for Spirits of the Dead|url=https://archive.org/details/scienceofghostss0000nick|url-access=registration|date=3 July 2012|publisher=Prometheus Books|isbn=978-1-61614-586-6|pages=[https://archive.org/details/scienceofghostss0000nick/page/283 283]–}}</ref> According to Nickell:

<blockquote>In the typical poltergeist outbreak, small objects are hurled through the air by unseen forces, furniture is overturned, or other disturbances occur—usually just what could be accomplished by a juvenile trickster determined to plague credulous adults.</blockquote>

Nickell writes that reports are often exaggerated by credulous witnesses.<ref name=NickellCSI>{{cite web|last=Nickell|first=Joe|author-link=Joe Nickell|title=Enfield Poltergeist, Investigative Files|url=http://www.csicop.org/si/show/enfield_poltergeist|work=August 2012|date=July 2012 |publisher=Committee for Skeptical Inquiry|access-date=3 December 2013}}</ref>

<blockquote>Time and time again in other "poltergeist" outbreaks, witnesses have reported an object leaping from its resting place supposedly on its own, when it is likely that the perpetrator had secretly obtained the object sometime earlier and waited for an opportunity to fling it, even from outside the room—thus supposedly proving he or she was innocent.</blockquote>

Unsubstantiated claims:
* [[Stockwell ghost]] (1772) - since 1825<ref>[[William Hone|Hone, William]]. (1878 edition, originally published 1825). [https://archive.org/stream/everydaybookorgu01hone#page/30/mode/2up ''The Every Day Book'']. London: William Tegg. pp. 31-35</ref>
* [[Ballechin House]] (1876)
* The [[Enfield poltergeist claim]] (1977) - [[John Beloff]], a former president of the [[Society for Psychical Research]] and [[Anita Gregory]] concluded that the claimants were playing tricks on the investigators.<ref>Clarkson, Michael (4 February 2006). Poltergeists: Examining Mysteries of the Paranormal. Firefly Books. p. 135. ISBN 978-1554071593. "Anita Gregory, of the Society for Psychical Research, who had spent just a short time at the Hodgson home, said the mysterious men's voices were simply the result of Janet and Margaret putting bed sheets to their mouths. In addition Gregory said that a video camera had caught Janet attempting to bend spoons and an iron bar by force and 'practising' levitation by bouncing up and down on her bed."</ref>
* [[Columbus poltergeist case]] (1984)

===Psychological===
A claim of activity at [[Caledonia Mills]] (1899–1922) was investigated by [[Walter Franklin Prince]], research officer for the [[American Society for Psychical Research]] in 1922. Prince concluded that the mysterious fires and alleged poltergeist phenomena were because of a psychological state of [[Dissociation (psychology)|dissociation]].<ref>[[John Robert Colombo|Colombo, John Robert]]. (2000). ''Ghost Stories of Canada''. Dundurn. p. 43. {{ISBN|0-88882-222-7}}</ref>

[[Nandor Fodor]] investigated the [[Thornton Heath poltergeist|Thornton Heath poltergeist claim (1938)]]. His conclusion of the case was a psychoanalytical explanation and in a subsequent publication: "The poltergeist is not a ghost. It is a bundle of projected repressions,".<ref name="Timms 2012">Timms, Joanna. (2012). [http://www.euppublishing.com/doi/abs/10.3366/pah.2012.0097 ''Phantasm of Freud: Nandor Fodor and the Psychoanalytic Approach to the Supernatural in Interwar Britain'']. Psychoanalysis & History. Volume 14: 5-27. {{blockquote|claim for the recognition of a malevolent type of psycho-physiological disturbance, to which "haunted people" find themselves subjected...Nothing that is submitted in this book is believable}}</ref>

According to research in [[anomalistic psychology]], claims of poltergeist activity can be explained by psychological factors such as [[illusion]], [[Memory#Failures|memory lapses]], and [[wishful thinking]].<ref>[[Leonard Zusne|Zusne, Leonard]]; Jones, Warren H. (1989). ''Anomalistic Psychology: A Study of Magical Thinking''. Psychology Press. p. 192. {{ISBN|978-0805805086}}</ref> A study (by Lange and Houran, 1998) wrote that poltergeist experiences are [[delusion]]s "resulting from the affective and cognitive dynamics of percipients' interpretation of ambiguous stimuli".<ref>Lange, R; Houran, J. (1998). ''Delusions of the paranormal: A haunting question of perception''. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 186 (10): 637–645.</ref> Psychologist [[Donovan Rawcliffe]] has written that almost all poltergeist cases that have been investigated turned out to be based on trickery, whilst the rest are attributable to psychological factors such as [[hallucination]]s.<ref>[[Donovan Rawcliffe|Rawcliffe, Donovan]]. (1988). Occult and Supernatural Phenomena. Dover Publications. pp. 377–378. {{ISBN|0-486-25551-4}}</ref>

[[Psychoanalyst]] [[Carl Gustav Jung]] was interested in the concept of poltergeists and the occult in general. Jung believed that a female cousin's [[trance]] states were responsible for a dining table splitting in two and his later discovery of a broken bread knife.<ref name="Wilson2010">{{cite book|author=Colin Wilson|title=Poltergeist: A Classic Study in Destructive Hauntings|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O68ayjhr3O8C|date=8 November 2010|publisher=Llewellyn Worldwide|isbn=978-0-7387-2237-5}}</ref>

Jung also believed that when a bookcase gave an explosive cracking sound during a meeting with [[Sigmund Freud]] in 1909, he correctly predicted there would be a second sound, speculating that such phenomena were caused by the 'exteriorization' of his subconscious mind. Freud disagreed, and concluded there was some natural cause. Freud's biographers maintain the sounds were likely caused by the wood of the bookcase contracting as it dried out.<ref name="Wilson2019">{{cite book|author=Colin Wilson|title=C.G.Jung: Lord of the Underworld|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cvaKDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT2|date=21 February 2019|publisher=Aeon Books|isbn=978-1-912807-53-6|pages=2–}}</ref><ref>CG Jung, ''Memories, Dreams, Reflections'', Flamingo 1983, pp 126, 179</ref>

===Unverified natural phenomena===
Attempts have also been made to scientifically explain poltergeist disturbances that have not been traced to fraud or psychological factors. Skeptic and magician [[Milbourne Christopher]] found that some cases of poltergeist activity can be attributed to unusual air currents, such as a 1957 case on [[Cape Cod]] where downdrafts from an uncovered chimney became strong enough to blow a mirror off a wall, overturn chairs and knock things off shelves.<ref>{{cite book| title=ESP, Seers & Psychics: What the Occult Really Is | first=Milbourne | last=Christopher | location=New York | publisher=Crowell | year=1970 |page=142| isbn=978-0-690-26815-7 | oclc=97063 |quote=A heavy mirror fell from the bedroom wall and an ash tray that had been resting on a table with a glass top slammed against the surface with such force that the glass was shattered.}}</ref>

In the 1950s, Guy William Lambert proposed that reported poltergeist phenomena could be explained by the movement of underground water causing stress on houses.<ref name="Wiseman 2011">{{cite book |last=Wiseman |first=Richard |date=1 April 2011 |title=Paranormality: Why We see What Isn't There |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TO67ZcZ3wUUC |publisher=Macmillan|isbn=978-1743038383 |author-link=Richard Wiseman |pages=167–169}}
*Lambert, G. W. (1955). ''Poltergeists: A Physical Theory''. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research 38: 49–71.</ref> He suggested that [[Turbulence|water turbulence]] could cause strange sounds or structural movement of the property, possibly causing the house to vibrate and move objects. Later researchers, such as [[Alan Gauld]] and [[Tony Cornell]], tested Lambert's hypothesis by placing specific objects in different rooms and subjecting the house to strong mechanical vibrations.<ref name="Wiseman 2011"/> They discovered that although the structure of the building had been damaged, only a few of the objects moved a very short distance. The skeptic [[Trevor H. Hall]] criticized the hypothesis claiming if it was true "the building would almost certainly fall into ruins."<ref>Dingwall, Eric; Hall, Trevor H. (1958). ''Four Modern Ghosts''. Gerald Duckworth. p. 105</ref> According to [[Richard Wiseman]] the hypothesis has not held up to scrutiny.<ref name="Wiseman 2011"/>

[[Michael Persinger]] has theorized that [[seismic activity]] could cause poltergeist phenomena.<ref>{{cite book |first=James |last=Houran |title=From Shaman to Scientist: Essays on Humanity's Search for Spirits |location=Lanham |publisher=Scarecrow Press |year=2004 |page=11 |isbn=0-8108-5054-0 }}</ref> However, Persinger's claims regarding the effects of environmental geomagnetic activity on paranormal experiences have not been independently replicated and, like his findings regarding the [[God helmet]], may simply be explained by the suggestibility of participants.<ref name="French">{{citation | title=The "Haunt" project: An attempt to build a "haunted" room by manipulating complex electromagnetic fields and infrasound | author=French, CC., Haque, U., Bunton-Stasyshyn, R., Davis, R. | journal=Cortex | volume=45 | issue=5 | pages=619–629 | year=2009 | doi=10.1016/j.cortex.2007.10.011 | pmid=18635163| s2cid=3944854 | url=http://research.gold.ac.uk/4209/2/French_et_al_Haunt_accepted.pdf }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Wiseman |first1=Richard |author-link=Richard Wiseman |title=The Haunted Brain |url=https://www.csicop.org/si/show/the_haunted_brain |website=Csicop.org |date=September 2011 |access-date=7 January 2019}}</ref>

David Turner, a retired physical chemist, suggested that [[ball lightning]] might cause the "spooky movement of objects blamed on poltergeists."<ref>{{cite magazine| last=Muir |first=Hazel |title=Ball lightning scientists remain in the dark |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn1720 |magazine=New Scientist |date=2001-12-20 |access-date=2011-01-15}}</ref>

* [[Sampford Peverell#Poltergeist claim error|Sampford Peverell]] (1810–1811) - poltergeistal noises were determined made by smugglers from behind a false wall<ref>Codd, Daniel. ''Paranormal Devon'' (2013). Amberley Publishing. p.30-34. {{ISBN|9781848681668}}.</ref>

===Paranormal===
[[Parapsychology|Parapsychologists]] [[Nandor Fodor]] and [[William G. Roll]] suggested that poltergeist activity can be explained by [[psychokinesis]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Fodor |first=N. |year=1964 |title=Between Two Worlds |url=https://archive.org/details/betweentwoworlds00fodorich |url-access=registration |location=West Nyack, NY |publisher=Parker Publishing }}</ref><ref>Houran, James; Lange, Rense. (2007). ''Hauntings and Poltergeists: Multidisciplinary Perspectives''. McFarland. p. 290. {{ISBN|978-0786432493}}</ref>

Historically, actual malicious spirits were blamed for apparent poltergeist-type activity, such as objects moving seemingly of their own accord.<ref>Goss, Michael. (1979). ''Poltergeists: An Annotated Bibliography of Works in English, Circa 1880–1975''. Scarecrow Press. p. 92. {{ISBN|978-0810811812}}</ref> According to [[Allan Kardec]], the founder of [[Kardecist spiritism|Spiritism]], poltergeists are manifestations of disembodied spirits of low level, belonging to the sixth class of the third order. Under this explanation, they are believed to be closely associated with the [[classical element|element]]s (fire, air, water, earth).<ref>[[Allan Kardec]], ''Le Livre des Esprits''. (2000). chapter 106, Jean de Bonnot. p.46.</ref> In Finland, somewhat famous are the case of the "Mäkkylä Ghost" in 1946, which received attention in the press at the time,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20151031130541/http://www.iltasanomat.fi/asuminen/art-1445938119491.html IS: Espoon poltergeist: Mitä tapahtui Mäkkylän kummitustalossa syksyllä 1946?] (in Finnish)</ref> and the "Devils of Martin" in [[Ylöjärvi]] in the late 19th century, for which affidavits were obtained in court.<ref>Esko Mustonen: ''Poltergeist: tuntematon voima''. WSOY 1986. {{ISBN|951-0-13810-X}} (in Finnish)</ref> [[Samuli Paulaharju]] has also recorded a memoir of a typical {{nowrap|poltergeist{{tsp}}{{mdash}}{{tsp}}}}the case of "Salkko-{{nowrap|Niila"{{hsp}}{{mdash}}{{tsp}}}}from the south of [[Lake Inari]] in his book ''Memoirs of Lapland'' (''Lapin muisteluksia''). The story has also been published in the collection of ''Mythical Stories'' (''Myytillisiä tarinoita'') edited by Lauri Simonsuuri.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/57770/57770-8.txt|title= Paulaharju Samuli, Lapin muisteluksia – Salkko-Niila|access-date=October 9, 2020|language=fi}}</ref>

==Famous cases==
[[File:Epworth Rectory Front View.png|thumb|[[Old Rectory, Epworth|Epworth Rectory]], supposed site of paranormal hauntings in the mid-1710s]]

* [[George Sinclair (mathematician)#Glenluce Devil|Glenluce Devil]] (1654–1656)
* [[Drummer of Tedworth]] (1662)
* [[Mackie poltergeist]] (1695)
* [[Old Rectory, Epworth#Epworth Rectory haunting|Wesley poltergeist claim at Epworth Rectory]] (1716–1717) 
* [[Hinton Ampner#Poltergeist claims|Hinton Ampner]] (1764–1771)
* [[Bell Witch]] of Tennessee (1817–1872)
* [[John Bovee Dods]] (1824)
* [[Edward Moor|Bealings Bells]] (1834)
* [[Angelique Cottin]] (ca. 1846)
* [[Great Amherst Mystery]] (1878–1879)
* [[Gef the Talking Mongoose]] (1931)
* [[Borley Rectory]] (1937)<ref>[[Harry Price]], ''The Most Haunted House in England: Ten Years' Investigation'' (new edition, 1990)</ref>
* [[Seaford poltergeist]] (1958)
* [[Matthew Manning]] (1960s–1970s)
* [[When the Lights Went Out#Production|The Black Monk of Pontefract]] (1960s–1970s)
* [[Rosenheim poltergeist claim]] (1967)<ref name=PittsburgPress>{{cite news|last=Spraggett|first=Allen|title=Pursuing the Elusive Poltergeist|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=oBsfAAAAIBAJ&pg=5846,1740188&dq=rosenheim+poltergeist&hl=en|access-date=4 December 2013|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press|date=Jan 2, 1974}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book | author = Fairley, John |author2=Welfare, Simon | year = 1984 | title = Arthur C. Clarke's World of Strange Powers | publisher = Harper Collins | location = London | isbn = 0-00-216679-8 | pages = 28–31}}</ref>
* The ''[[Stambovsky v. Ackley]]'' poltergeist (1970s–1980s)
* [[The Amityville Horror#Disputes over accuracy|The Amityville case]] (1975)
* [[Enfield poltergeist]] (1977–1979)
*[[Thornton Road poltergeist claim]] (1981)
*[[Ammons haunting case]] (2011)

==See also==
{{div col|colwidth=22em}} <!-- Please respect alphabetical order -->
* [[Apparitional experience]]
* [[Ghost]]
* [[Ghost hunting]]
* [[List of topics characterized as pseudoscience]]
* [[Lithobolia]]
* [[Fairy#Practical beliefs|Mischievous fairies]]
* [[List of basic parapsychology topics|Parapsychology topics (list)]]
* [[Kardecist spiritism|Spiritism]]
* [[Stigmatized property]]
{{Div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
*{{Cite web|url=https://www.livescience.com/38223-poltergeists.html|title=Poltergeists: Noisy Spirits|last=Radford|first=Benjamin|date=July 17, 2013|website=Live Science}}

==Further reading==
* [[Milbourne Christopher|Christopher, Milbourne]] (1970). ''ESP, Seers & Psychics''. Thomas Y. Crowell Co. {{ISBN|978-0-690-26815-7}}
*[[Joe Nickell|Nickell, Joe]] (2012). ''The Science of Ghosts: Searching for Spirits of the Dead''. Prometheus Books. {{ISBN|978-1-61614-586-6}}
*[[Frank Podmore|Podmore, Frank]] (1896). [https://archive.org/stream/proceedingsofsoc12soci#page/44/mode/2up ''Poltergeists'']. Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research 12: 45–115.
*A.R.G. Owen. (1964). ''Can We Explain the Poltergeist?'' Garrett Publications / New York 
*Goss, Michael. (1979). ''Poltergeists: An Annotated Bibliography of Works in English, Circa 1880–1975''. Scarecrow Press.
* {{cite book |last=Price |first=Harry |author-link= Harry Price |date=1993 |title=Poltergeist: Tales of the Supernatural |location=London |publisher=Bracken Books |isbn=1-85891-084-6}}
*[[Sacheverell Sitwell|Sitwell, Sacheverell]]. (1988, originally published in 1940). ''Poltergeists: An Introduction and Examination Followed by Chosen Instances''. Dorset Press.

==External links==
{{wiktionary|poltergeist}}
{{EB1911 poster|Poltergeist}}
* [http://www.psychanalyse-paris.com/807-The-Poltergeist-and-his.html The Poltergeist and his explainers], [[Andrew Lang]], Psychanalyse-paris.com
* [http://www.skepdic.com/poltergeist.html Skeptic's Dictionary]

{{Parapsychology|state=collapsed}}
{{Ghosts|state=collapsed}}
{{German folklore}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Poltergeists| ]]
[[Category:German ghosts]]
[[Category:Telekinesis]]