A CAREER IN PARAPSYCHOLOGY

The Society for Psychical Research

The Society for Psychical Research and similar bodies throughout the world are receiving more and more enquiries about possible careers in parapsychology. They come from schoolchildren, university students, career advisers and parents. The notoriety given by the media to the subject, and especially to the more dramatic fringe activities popularly supposed to lie within the field, may partly account for these enquiries. Nevertheless, if they wish to disseminate a better understanding of the nature of psychical research, and to encourage potential research workers, research organisations cannot afford to ignore requests for information. This leaflet sets out to describe some of the avenues open to the prospective parapsychologist in the United Kingdom today.

Defining Parapsychology

Parapsychology is the study of phenomena, real or supposed, which appear inexplicable on presently accepted scientific theories. The older term "psychical research" is still commonly used in Britain, but in America and on the Continent the subject is generally called "parapsychology". The definition makes it difficult to set rigid limits to the topics included, but in practice the focus of interest in recent times has been on the acquisition of information in unexplained ways ["extra-sensory perception"] and on physical effects brought about in unexplained ways ["psychokinesis", paranormal healing, etc.]. Parapsychologists often refer to all these phenomena as "psi", an abbreviation that implies commitment to no particular theory. Research into psi may be carried out, as in orthodox science, by setting up experiments with human or animal subjects in controlled conditions, using laboratory apparatus and techniques as required. There is also room for "field" research, observing and experimenting in the vicinity of places or persons where phenomena are said to be prevalent, or recording and analysing reports of individual experiences suggestive of psi that have occurred spontaneously.

Research into extra-sensory perception is regarded by some as a branch of experimental psychology, but research into paranormal physical phenomena would appear to call for the skills of an engineer or a physicist, so much so that the term "paraphysicist" has been coined as an analogue of "parapsychologist". In point of fact, psychical research is a multi-disciplinary enterprise in which, according to the task in hand, such diverse experts as philosophers, anthropologists, linguists, historians, detectives, ethnologists, psychiatrists and neuro-physiologists have all played a part.

Education of researchers

For most members of The Society for Psychical Research, even though some of them are distinguished experts and professionals in their own work, psychical research is of necessity a leisure time interest. While it is still possible for amateur enthusiasts to make important contributions to the study of psi, recent research has tended to an increasing extent to be the product of dedicated professionals. Notwithstanding the extreme inadequacy of resources, and the almost total absence of research grants, a number of faculty members and graduate students at universities have been able to carry out parapsychological researches, either as part of their normal academic duties, or by working in their spare time, but with necessary institutional and technical facilities provided. Other researchers have managed to operate from a base in industry, in schools, or in professional practice as lawyers, psychiatrists and even ministers of religion.

The common factor among all established professional research workers is training, experience, qualification and competence in a field relevant to their particular psychical research projects. The more advanced the qualification and the wider the experience the greater is the chance of being able to make a significant contribution to psi research. As is the general rule today, formal education to a high level gives the best opportunities. The would-be parapsychologist must first qualify in a related discipline and find a post that will permit him to develop his special interest within the field of his employment. The disciplines considered most appropriate to psychical research vary with changing trends in research. At present, psychology, statistics, physics and engineering would seem to be the most relevant.

The Koestler Professor of Parapsychology at the University of Edinburgh is able to provide some places and excellent facilities for graduate students engaged in research in the subject, but funding to cover maintenance and university fees is not usually obtainable from the governmental agencies and research foundations that support work in the more traditional subjects. On completion of their projects, even if they obtain a doctoral degree, those who wish to continue research in this area must still seek a post in a related discipline that will provide them with the time and the facilities to pursue their specialised interest. In the increasingly restrictive and competitive situation in British academic institutions such opportunities are excessively rare.

One reason for the absence of support for parapsychology is the intractable nature of the subject. Although research methods have become much more sophisticated in recent years, the yield in terms of testable scientific hypotheses, or of dependable effects of sufficient magnitude, consistency and reproducibility to permit advances in understanding, has been disappointingly small. This lack of progress discourages authorities in the established sciences from allocating resources or personnel to parapsychological projects. Anyone thinking of devoting their research life to parapsychology needs to consider carefully the intrinsic difficulty of the subject, and not least the fact that some experimenters have worked in the field for years without obtaining positive results of any kind.

Parapsychological Consultation Service, Inc.