Devils, Demons, and Psychology

 

Devils & Demons/ Geoff Sutton Canva 2023

Belief in demons or the devil is a complex topic that has been studied from various scholarly perspectives, including psychological, sociological, and cultural. Following are a few references that might help in understanding this phenomenon.

Ancient Jewish writings in the Bible describe erratic behavior and link the phenomena to evil spirits (e.g., 1 Samuel 16.14). Jesus was known for casting out evil spirits (e.g., Luke 7-8). That tradition is known as exorcism in the Catholic church and deliverance in Protestant traditions.

In 2016, Gallup researchers found that 89% of Americans believe in God and 61% believe in a devil. An additional 12% are unsure, and 27% report that they do not believe in the existence of a devil. If we encounter a group of Americans typical of the nation, we may assume that most believe in some form of spirituality involving supernatural beings and more than half believe in an evil being (Sutton, 2021).

Nie and Olson (2016) analyzed data from the large national sample of American youth (n = 3,290) recorded in three waves 2003, 2005, and 2007-2008. They asked: “do you believe in the existence of demons or evil spirits? (p. 502)” They found a strong positive correlation (r = .39) between closeness to God and belief in demons.

Perspectives

Pargament and Mahoney (2005) present the concept of sanctification, which refers to the process of imbuing an object or experience with sacred meaning. The authors argue that belief in demons or the devil is often associated with sanctification, as individuals view these entities as powerful forces that are in opposition to God or other sacred values.

“Although objects may be perceived to be embodiments of the divine, they may also be seen as embodiments of evil or the demonic. In fact, the two processes—sanctification and demonization—may be closely interconnected, for those who commit desecrations against sacred objects may be perceived as demonic in nature.” (p. 194)

In a chapter titled Devils, Demons, and Deliverance, Sutton (2021) reviewed research on the topic especially as related to Charismatic and Pentecostal Christians. Richie (2020) advises readers that although Pentecostals believe in the devil and demons, he encourages focusing on God, and avoiding giving undue credit to demonic power, but not dismissing such evil altogether. The chapter also includes guidance from psychologist Siang-Yang Tan on identifying and meeting the needs of people troubled by demons.

Julie Exline and her colleagues recognized the struggles people experience with the demonic in the Religious and Spiritual Struggles Scale. This assessment can be a useful tool for researchers and mental health providers.

Supernatural Evil and Mental Health Studies

Christoper Lloyd and Rober Waller (2020) studied mental health in an Evangelical sample. Their results are based on a survey of 446 Evangelicals. Some results were:

Thirty-one percent of respondents reported experiencing teaching which exclusively spiritualised their mental distress. However, 94% endorsed secular interventions (psychological therapy) as effective. Additionally, 73% of respondents endorsed non-spiritual causal attributions (biological/neurological or traumatic/lived experiences) for mental distress. Overall, 56% indicated positive engagement within their faith communities.

Susan Caplan (2019) reported the results of a study of beliefs about mental health among people identified as Hispanic. Her summary: 

Results: Participants were socialized to believe that persons with mental illness were dangerous, out of control, and suffering from an incurable illness that resulted in rejection and ostracism. Most families would deny the existence of depression and mental illness, unless symptoms greatly interfered with daily functioning or were life-threatening. Religious coping such as prayer, and faith in God, were believed to be protective factors. Causal attributions for depression were both biomedical and religious, such as lack of faith, not praying, demons, and sinful behaviors of parents.

In their summary of research in Southeast Asia, Suba et al. (2022) noted that disrespect for spirits or Gods can be a cause of mental illness.  Following is a quote from their article:

In Indonesian traditional culture and society, people believe in various creatures, such as hantu, iblis, jinn, Satan, ruh, and jaelangkung or spirits. Often, Iblis (considered the leader of evil spirits) is claimed to tempt humans to commit sins (Sells, 1995; Subu, 2015). Worldwide, studies have showed that many people believe mental illnesses are “spiritual illnesses” caused by demonic or spirit possessions, witchcraft, or the effect of the evil-eye (Karanci, 2014; Ross et al., 2013; Stefanovics et al., 2016; Tajima-Pozo et al., 2011). The notion of jinn possessing humans is also widespread among Muslims and accepted by most Islamic scholars, even though it is not directly attested in the Quran (Dein & Illaiee, 2013).

*****

Labinjo and others (2020) studied mental health in Nigeria in 64 articles. A quote from the abstract is informative: 

The most common determinants of mental health disorders as perceived by Nigerians were supernatural causes such as possession of evil spirits, sorcery, witchcraft, and divine punishment. In addition, a significant number of articles attributed the cause to drug or alcohol misuse. Social distancing and avoidance were expressed in all papers that looked at attitudes towards people with mental disorders. The research showed that Nigerians held supernatural belief as the cause of mental disorders and religion is a significant cultural aspect for Nigerians.

Fiona Thomas and her research team (2016) studied local views on mental health following armed conflict in Sri Lanka. They obtained their data from focus groups and interviews. A summary finding was: "Thematic analyses showed a large range of impact on mental health conceptualized as spiritual problems (e.g., evil spirits and witchcraft), moral concerns (e.g., violence as a means to solve conflict), and perceived cultural decline."

References

Caplan, S. (2019). Intersection of cultural and religious beliefs about mental health: Latinos in the faith-based setting. Hispanic Health Care International, 17(1), 4–10. https://doi.org/10.1177/1540415319828265

Labinjo, T., Serrant, L., Ashmore, R., & Turner, J. (2020). Perceptions, attitudes and cultural understandings of mental health in Nigeria: A scoping review of published literature. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 23(7), 606–624. https://doi.org/10.1080/13674676.2020.1726883

Lloyd, C. E. M., & Waller, R. M. (2020). Demon? Disorder? Or none of the above? A survey of the attitudes and experiences of evangelical Christians with mental distress. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 23(8), 679–690. https://doi.org/10.1080/13674676.2019.1675148

Nie, F., & Olson, D. V. A. (2016). Demonic Influence: The negative mental health effects of belief in demons. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 55(3), 498–515. https://doi.org/10.1111/jssr.12287

 Pargament, K., & Mahoney, A. (2005). THEORY: “Sacred Matters: Sanctification as a Vital Topic for the Psychology of Religion.” The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 15(3), 179–198.

Subu, M. A., Holmes, D., Arumugam, A., Al-Yateem, N., Maria Dias, J., Rahman, S. A., Waluyo, I., Ahmed, F. R., & Abraham, M. S. (2022). Traditional, religious, and cultural perspectives on mental illness: a qualitative study on causal beliefs and treatment use. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, 17(1), 2123090. https://doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2022.2123090

Sutton, G. W. (2021). Counseling and psychotherapy with Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians: Culture & Research | Assessment & Practice. Springfield, MO: Sunflower.  ISBN-13 : 979-8681036524  BUY on  AMAZON

Thomas, F. C., Tol, W. A., Vallipuram, A., Sivayokan, S., Jordans, M. J. D., Reis, R., & de Jong, J. T. V. M. (2016). Emic perspectives on the impact of armed conflict on children’s mental health and psychosocial well-being: Applying a social ecological framework of resilience in northern Sri Lanka. Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 22(3), 246–253. https://doi.org/10.1037/pac0000172

Geoffrey W. Sutton, PhD is Emeritus Professor of Psychology. He retired from a clinical practice and was credentialed in clinical neuropsychology and psychopharmacology. His website is  www.suttong.com

 

See Geoffrey Sutton’s books on   AMAZON       or  GOOGLE STORE

Follow on    FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton    

   TWITTER  @Geoff.W.Sutton    

You can read many published articles at no charge:

  Academia   Geoff W Sutton     ResearchGate   Geoffrey W Sutton 

 

Dr. Sutton’s posts are for educational purposes only. See a licensed mental health provider for diagnoses, treatment, and consultation.