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Genetic predilections and predispositions for the development of shamanism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2018

Jacob A. Fiala  and
Frederick L. Coolidge
Jacob A. Fiala
Affiliation:
Psychology Department, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, CO 80918. [email protected]@uccs.eduhttps://www.uccs.edu/fcoolidge/index.html
Frederick L. Coolidge
Affiliation:
Psychology Department, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, CO 80918. [email protected]@uccs.eduhttps://www.uccs.edu/fcoolidge/index.html
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Abstract

Singh's cultural evolutionary theory of shamanism provides a valuable framework for understanding shamanism. We argue, however, that a full understanding of shamanism should incorporate the psychological predilections and genetic predispositions commonly found in individual shamans. In other words, only a small subset of individuals in a culture is prone or attracted to shamanistic practices, regardless of the evolutionary value of those practices.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 41 , 2018 , e73
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

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