superstition
A superstition is a belief, sometimes only tentatively held, that cannot be justified in terms of a dominant belief system and may therefore be said to be irrational. The word often implies condemnation when used by persons who assume the superiority of their beliefs, whether scientific, religious, or philosophical. The explorers and missionaries of the last century, for example, often dismissed much of the worldview of the peoples they encountered as superstition.
The term superstition is often taken to mean beliefs concerning MAGIC, supernatural invisible forces, or erroneous nature lore. WITCHCRAFT, the EVIL EYE, omens, signs, ghosts, and a variety of spirit beings are all included in such a definition. Earlier folklorists and anthropologists sometimes saw in the superstitions of medieval Europe traces of earlier, more primitive cultures. Psychologists have also taken an interest in the impulses behind superstition, both in its widest social forms and as expressed in individualized, personal beliefs.
Christian Clerk
Bibliography: Daniels, C. L., and Stevens, C. M., eds., Encyclopedia of Superstitions, Folklore and the Occult Sciences of the World, 3 vols. (1903; repr. 1971); Lasne, S., and Gaultier, A. P., A Dictionary of Superstitions (1984); Opie, I., and Tatem, M., eds., A Dictionary of Superstitions (1989; repr. 1992).
