Poltergeists

A detailed Summary of Poltergeists

A poltergeist is an unseen spirit that many people believe in; However, psychokinesis could explain some of the paranormal phenomenon that people encounter in their lives. Poltergeists, unlike ghosts, 'haunt' by causing commotions, making noises, and throwing things around. The word poltergeist is derived from two German words--a folklore term, polter, meaning 'noisy,' and the word for 'spirit,' geist. According to Knight, in the popular sense, a poltergeist is known as a frisky, mischievous spirit that specializes in knocking on walls, tossing things like crockery about, and performing other supernatural feats. In the scientific sense, there is no such thing as a poltergeist. There is only poltergeist activity--odd things that happen due to some unknown force or power, perhaps psychological in nature, (9, 11).

"The most destructive thing a poltergeist can do is perform an act of spontaneous combustion," says Knight, (12). They ignite things around a person, especially walls and curtains. The flames can be seen from the floor, up, like a normal fire would be seen. It has been reported that flames had gone from the ceiling, down, as if the devil was there. There have even been reports of flames igniting in the middle of

According to an article posted on the Internet, (Levels of Poltergeists), there are five levels of a poltergeist. These levels are accumulative, meaning the current level also has characteristics of previous levels. In the first level, the poltergeist attacks a person's senses, making strange noises, and making the person feel like they are being watched. In the second level, communication occurs, with whispers and laughs heard echoing throughout the house or building. In level three, the poltergeist takes control over the electric supplies in the house, flickering the lights, and making strange phone calls. During level four, the poltergeist seems to take on a sense of bad humor, making people levitate in the air, or causing spontaneous combustion. Level five is the danger level, where a poltergeist can write messages on walls with blood, throw knives across the room, and can even do things like slap, punch, possess, or even rape a person. These startling things may sound like a hoax. Sixty-eight percent of the people recently polled said that they did not even believe in ghosts, or even knew what the difference between a poltergeist and a ghost was. Fodor (72), tries to clear the question up by saying that, "A ghost is said to haunt a house, whereas a poltergeist is said to haunt a man." Eighty-eight percent of those polled said that they have never been haunted by a poltergeist. But, according to Roop (14), over the last 1,500 years, poltergeist reports have continued and increased. Underwood (96), says that, "What is certain is that poltergeists are a reality and have existed throughout history." So it seems that more and more people are believing in the supernatural.

Psychokinesis, a term meaning the ability of the mind--directing energy to move objects without any known force--may be associated with poltergeist activity, (Knight, 17). The beginning of experimental studies of psychokinesis began in the 1940's. "The development of psychial research and pa

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Category: Science