The personal side of ghost
hunting has it's many ups and downs. Paranormal
Researchers need in the opinion of science
to learn distinguish feeling and emotion,
where feeling refers to the subjective experience
of the emotion. Too often many believe we
as fringe judges of what is real and not real
concerning hauntings do not realize that emotions
can occur unconsciously. And by doing such
we accept general paranormal phenomenon than
its subjective actual feeling. Many sensitive's
when asked will tel you that they have to
stay objective during a paranormal investigation.
They have to be emotionally clear. This allows
the spirit force or the intense emotions of
the ghost to invade them.
The Affective Events Theory is a communication-based
theory developed by Howard M. Weiss and Russell
Cropanzano (1996), that looks at the causes,
structures, and consequences of emotional
experience (especially in work contexts.)
This theory suggests that emotions are influenced
and caused by events which in turn influence
attitudes and behaviors. This theoretical
frame also emphasizes time in that human beings
experience what they call emotion episodes
- a “series of emotional states extended
over time and organized around an underlying
theme” (Weiss & Beal, 2005, p. 6).
This theory has been utilized by numerous
researchers to better understand emotion from
a communicative lens, and was reviewed further
by Howard M. Weiss and Daniel J. Beal in their
article, Reflections on Affective Events Theory
published in Research on Emotion in Organizations
in 2005.
In philosophy, emotions are studied in sub
fields such as ethics, the philosophy of art
(e.g., sensory-emotional values, and matters
of taste and sentiment), and the philosophy
of music. In history, scholars examine documents
and other sources to interpret and analyze
past activities; speculation on the emotional
state of the authors of historical documents
is one of the tools of interpretation. In
literature and filmmaking, the expression
of emotion is the cornerstone of genres such
as drama, melodrama, and romance. In communication
studies, scholars study the role that emotion
plays in the dissemination of ideas and messages.
Emotion is also studied in non-human animals
in ethology, a branch of zoology which focuses
on the scientific study of animal behavior.
Ethology is a combination of laboratory and
field science, with strong ties to ecology
and evolution. Ethologists often study one
type of behavior (e.g. aggression) in a number
of unrelated animals.
Feeling What A Real Ghosts
Feels
Feelings may also more narrowly refer to
the experience of physical bodily changes.
A person is dead we cry we hurt physically
and mentally when a dear loves person or pet
dies. We even react to the deaths of those
celebrities and public figures that we personally
don't know. We a humans can cry and feel for
some one thousands of miles away that have
suffered by the hands of another or a act
of God. But what emotion do we have when we
consciously die? The range from happy to sad
and all points in between is more then likely.
From all of this we can relate that emotions
can also be contagious and effect entire groups
of people. Individually it does effect our
persona, households and as in mass emotional
fever, entire communities. A related distinction
is between the emotion and the results of
the emotion, principally behaviours and emotional
expressions. People often behave in certain
ways as a direct result of their emotional
state, such as crying, fighting or fleeing.
The same we might imagine carries over after
death. And many believe what actually holds
a ghost to this world or causes them to haunt
a location is locked into the secrets of what
emotion controls them. There are a number
of theories of emotions that argue that cognitive
activity in the form of judgments, evaluations,
or thoughts are necessary in order for an
emotion to occur. So there for a ghost is
a thinking entity. At times many argue that
it is a mind stuck on one track of emotional
delirium such as in a residual haunting.
Many belivee what you can't
see can't hurt you. Others relate that ghosts
are just as afraid of us as we are of them.
Yet who's emotions run higher the living or
the dead? And who is more effected by a haunting?
But the real answers are not so simple to
ascertain. Psychics or mediums many times
are over come with the emotions that a ghost
or spirit sets over them. the problem is unless
a sensitive person has no emotional baggage
to speak of they can only apply the feelings
to something they know or have experienced.
Aesthetic emotions refer to emotions that
are felt during aesthetic activity and/or
appreciation. These emotions may be of the
everyday variety (such as guilt, loss, worry,
fear, wonder or sympathy) or may be specific
to aesthetic contexts. Examples of the latter
include the sublime, the beautiful, and the
kitsch. In each of these respects, the emotion
usually constitutes only a part of the overall
aesthetic experience, but may play a more
or less definitive role for that state.
Every person who fears ghosts and haunting's
usually come to you in a very distressed emotional
state. Paranormal investigators often confuse
the persons problems with the paranormal as
contrived or high haunted drama. But they
over look the fact that a ghost is in a state
of perpetual haunted paranormal emotional
drama or it would not be haunting us. Alas
the pitch and intensity effects the haunted
persons life. Many ghost have a tendency to
effect those who are more prone to episodic
bouts with fear depressions and worries.
In the philosophy of music, scholars have
argued whether instrumental music such as
symphonies are simply abstract arrangements
and patterns of musical pitches ("absolute
music"), or whether instrumental music
depicts emotional tableaux and moods ("program
music"). Despite the assertions of philosophers
advocating the "absolute music"
argument, the typical symphony-goer does interpret
the notes and chords of the orchestra emotionally;
the opening of a Romantic-era symphony, in
which minor chords thunder over low bass notes
is often interpreted by layperson listeners
as an expression of sadness in music.
If you apply this to a ghosts then you might
understand that their vibratory frequency
effects us just the same. and some individuals
more then others. Often ghosts are found to
be relentless when effecting a person because
they effect how a person thinks. They even
gain something from the reactions of the individuals
from what situations they thrust into their
lives. Many interject this is the essence
of what paranormal reality really is.
Emotion plays a major role in persuasion,
social influence, and attitude change. Ghost
might look for individuals that go from one
mood to another to effect. In terms of paranormal
research methodology, the challenge for researchers
is measuring emotion and subsequent impacts
on a location and the general attitude that
effects all that come to the area. But if
a location or info that a stigmatized area
or person is apparent before you arrive then
you expect the unexpected and or openly no
longer objective to what may or may not be
a haunted or paranormal situation.
Paranormal Drama
Since we cannot see into the brain, various
models and measurement tools have been constructed
to obtain emotion and attitude information.
Measures may include the use of physiological
cues like facial expressions, vocal changes,
and other body rate measures (Breckler &
Wiggins, 1992). For instance, fear is associated
with raised eyebrows, increased heart rate
and increase body tension (Dillard, 1994).
Other methods include concept or network mapping,
and using primes or word cues (Shavelson &
Stanton, 1975). And by this as an investigator
of ghosts we tend to learn and read individuals
as they tell their story. We become Detectives
reading body language, and listening to the
emotion in a persons voice. Not that this
is not how individuals usually relate, but
as psychic or paranormal detectives we learn
or judge a persons story because of the past
individuals we have questioned.
Many Paranormal Investigators start mentally
setup typing individuals but how they come
across and relate they haunted experience.
Objective ghost hunting is often effected
by this because the type casting of individuals
sets the tone and mood of what you will discover.
Any discrete emotion can be used in a persuasive
appeal for paranormal active help; this may
include jealously, disgust, indignation, fear,
and anger. Fear is one of the most studied
emotional appeals in communication and social
influence of paranormal research. I personally
know of a few investigators who will not take
a case unless the fear factor is over the
top.
Many in the research level have assumed that
the ghost hunters of today or searching for
higher levels of drama then what they already
have in their lives. Consider this: If an
individual is suffering a emotional high paranormal
event and relate it to you then you want to
witness it. Only to prove to them that yes
this is happening and they are not insane.
But if this does not happen them you judge
the individual as nuts or a mentally ill person.
Many ghost Hunters fall to the way side when
investigating haunted individuals because
they do not wan the individual latching on
to them. This is why so many use the props
of ghost hunting, and EMF meter or a recorded
EVP as ether proof or not relying only on
data and not emotional feelings as proof.
These ghost hunters would rather just take
photos or walk around in the dark then talk
or interact with someone effected by a ghosts.
The drama we want as paranormal investigators
is up to us. Decide first how deep you want
to go. Ghost Hunting burnout is usually brought
on because you seem to be becoming a person
that deals with others tortured lives by the
hands of ghosts. Consider the tension of the
paranormal and the beliefs of those around
you. Family, work, your ghost hunting group
and then toss in the emotions and the tugging
of the haunted individual and the ghosts.
all this plays a big part in the dramatic
situation you choose to enter. Add a few highly
charged incidents of the unimaginable, personal
problems in fighting and then the ghosts personal
drama. Then consider where your mind has gone.
The one thing Paranormal Television and those
new to the field of Paranormal investigation
do not see is the toll it takes on ones on
emotions. The fear that what your doing is
bogus even to you. The worry that someone
can get hurt or changed for life by wrong
choices or the words you might tell them.
The problem is when you ghost hunt you take
on great responsibility and so few are prepared
trained or aware of the effects they are creating
on others.
Professional Ghost Hunting
Really there is no such thing in this area
of research to that degree that we can call
it Professional Paranormal Investigations
team. To do such a team needs to consist of
clinical researchers. Not individuals that
think hey ghost hunting is fun and i get scared
and enjoy the emotional roller coaster it
affords me.
Many groups today advertise on their web
sites that they hunt ghosts, respect the individual
and or here to help. when in essence it fills
some emotional need inside them and not their
qualified status. Investigation in to ghosts
and all that is paranormal is a choice or
a vocation to some. But those that do it or
kicks are hurting more them the individual
they are emotionally hurting themselves and
in time will see the effects. And they probably
won't like it.
As supposed professional Ghost Hunters we
need to understand Metacommunicative competence.
This is the ability to intervene (in a guiding
or constructively controlling way) within
difficult conversations and to correct communication
problems by utilizing the different ways of
practical communication:
verbal communication: by words or their meaning
paraverbal communication: loudness of speaking,
manner of speaking, when keeping silent, meaning
of interrupting or interfering the conversation
nonverbal communication: body language (facial
expression, eye contact, gestures), messages
without words
extraverbal communication: time, place, context,
orientation towards target groups, tactile
(feeling by touching) and olfactory (smelling)
aspects
Within the metacommunicative competence the
aforementioned ways of communication can be
used in a balanced and therefore credible,
authentic way as well as simultaneously observed
(Meta-analysis), if necessary corrected and
adapted to an evolvement, a new influence
or a new situation.
Nonverbal communication (NVC) is usually
understood as the process of communication
through sending and receiving wordless messages.
Such messages can be communicated through
gesture; body language or posture; facial
expression and eye contact; object communication
such as clothing, hairstyles or even architecture;
symbols and infographics. Speech may also
contain nonverbal elements known as paralanguage,
including voice quality, emotion and speaking
style, as well as prosodic features such as
rhythm, intonation and stress. Likewise, written
texts have nonverbal elements such as handwriting
style, spatial arrangement of words, or the
use of emoticons.
However, much of the study of nonverbal communication
has focused on face-to-face interaction, where
it can be classified into three principal
areas: environmental conditions where communication
takes place, the physical characteristics
of the communicators, and behaviors of communicators
during interaction.
The first scientific study of nonverbal communication
was Charles Darwin's book The Expression of
the Emotions in Man and Animals (1872). He
argued that all mammals show emotion reliably
in their faces. Studies now range across a
number of fields, including sex linguistics,
semiotics and social psychology.
Today to many who call themselves Professional
do not know how to deal with such situations.
Those that study the interactions of Grant
Wilson And Jason Hawes each week seem to be
thinking that these guys may be professional
plumbers. But as professed paranormal researchers
and individuals their faces and words are
hiding something that we need to research
more. Elements such as physique, height, weight,
hair, skin color, gender, odors, and clothing
send nonverbal messages during interaction.
For example, research into height has generally
found that taller people are perceived as
being more impressive. Melamed & Bozionelos
(1992) studied a sample of managers in the
UK and found that height was a key factor
affecting who was promoted. Often people try
to make themselves taller, for example, standing
on a platform, when they want to make more
of an impact with their speaking.
Many neglect Paranormal Environmental Factors
(PEF) such as furniture, architectural style,
interior decorating, lighting conditions,
colors, temperature, noise, and sound or music
that affect the behavior of communicators
during interaction with haunted individuals
or locations.
Paralanguage refers to the non-verbal elements
of communication used to modify meaning and
convey emotion. Paralanguage may be expressed
consciously or unconsciously, and it includes
the pitch, volume, and, in some cases, intonation
of speech. Sometimes the definition is restricted
to vocally-produced sounds. The study of paralanguage
is known as paralinguistics.
The term ’paralanguage’ is sometimes
used as a cover term for body language, which
is not necessarily tied to speech, and paralinguistic
phenomena in speech. The latter are phenomena
that can be observed in speech (Saussure's
parole) but that do not belong to the arbitrary
conventional code of language (Saussure's
langue).
The paralinguistic properties of speech play
an important role in human speech communication.
There are no utterances or speech signals
that lack paralinguistic properties, since
speech requires the presence of a voice that
can be modulated. This voice must have some
properties, and all the properties of a voice
as such are paralinguistic. However, the distinction
linguistic vs. paralinguistic applies not
only to speech but to writing and sign language
as well, and it is not bound to any sensory
modality. Even vocal language has some paralinguistic
as well as linguistic properties that can
be seen (lip reading, McGurk effect), and
even felt, e.g. by the Tadoma method.
So the next time someone tells you about
ghosts and hauntings listen you might learn
something. And the very next time you watch
a paranormal show analyze the paranormal investigator
and consider. Do or would you trust them and
their judgments. And is this who you want
to pattern yourself and investigations after?
Learn to read them their emotions and the
people they talk to on the show. Then compare
what you see to the results. it might surprise
you.
Lisa Lee Harp
Waugh Asks: Have The Dead Spoken To You Lately?
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