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possession and hysteria. A hypothesis that may be drawn from these correlations is that
demonic possession is in fact a form of hysterical disorder, characterised by the same, or
similar, psychodynamics that Freud discovered at the beginning ofthis century. A detailed
discussion of psychoanalytic approaches to the phenomenon of demonic possession will
be pursued in later chapters.
6.6.5 Parapsychological theory
Rogo (1974) is critical of both the suggestion and psychodynamic theories of demonic
posseSSIOn. He argues that, despite the superficial parallels between hysteria and demonic
posseSSIOn, the dissimilarities are more striking. He identifies these as follows,: (1 )
psychodiagnostic evaluations of possessed individuals usually show few hysterical traits;
(2) while hysterical individuals are frequently indifferent to their symptoms, demoniacs are
typically horrified at their possession symptoms; (3) hysteria is characterised by guilt,
rather than aggression. Many possession cases, however, are "vicious, even murderous ...
This is strikingly different from the neurotic self-affiicting plight of the hysteric" (Rogo,
1974, p. 22-23); (4) demoniacs display extraordinary psychic abilities (extrasensory
perception and psychokinesis), whereas hysterical personalities display only average
psychic ability. Therefore, argues Rogo, the hysteria-possession identity theory has "no
support other than a few statistical inferences based on frequency analysis" (p. 22).
Furthermore, he argues, psychodynamic theory cannot explain the two most frequent
paranormal phenomena displayed by demoniacs: understanding or using unlearned
languages (xenoglossy), and levitation. These phenomena are only explicable if one
assumes the reality of demonic entities which are not part of the demoniac's own
personality. Rogo's conclusion is that "the possessed person is being invaded by a foreign
intelligence and this intelligence is intrinsically evil" (p. 23). This is the occultic
perspective whereby "the malleable 'substance' of the host's subconscious is used by an
alien self to mould a new personality which becomes the vehicle for the presence of that
alien self' (Crabtree, 1985, p. 354). However well this explanation fits the