The belief system of superstitions

Since the scientific method is being emphasized in our schools, it is necessary to learn whether or
not this emphasis has affected the superstitious beliefs of the children. It can be assumed with a
fair degree of certainty that if a child adheres to a large number of a certain type of superstitions,
his perception or understanding of reality is distorted. Consequently a study of the number and
kinds of superstitious beliefs among school children may be a fruitful approach to the problem of
personality adjustment.

The clarification of the meaning of superstition, a presentation of a list of superstitious belief that
are pertinent to the problem of personality adjustment, an ascertainment of the prevalence of
these beliefs among secondary school pupils, and description of the qualitative differences in the
superstitious belief accepted by racial and sex groups.

Popular usage has defined a superstition as that belief in certain magical powers usually associated
with black cats, broken mirrors and the like. Although such a definition may be a valid one among
certain uncultured groups, the term superstition has a wider meaning. It may be said to include
those beliefs, chiefly in the field of the non-scientific, which are moving out of a more integrated
system into a so-called fringe of belief where they are no longer an essential part of the organized
system of belief. Since our viewpoints about reality change with our experiences, it may be
concluded that the non-essential and irrelevant parts of our superstitious. As no two individuals
have the same experiences, no two persons can agree on an exact classification of beliefs. What is
a superstition to the sophisticated may be a most vital part of the belief of the savage. The general
criterion of the definition of a superstition must therefore be the general consensus of opinion
depending on the degree of enlightenment of the culture in which one moves.

Since the pattern of our beliefs changes with our experiences, it may become necessary to
reinterpret of redefine superstitions as being more that the commonly listed items about broken
mirrors and the like.