The master’s thesis explores individuals’ experiences of superstitious practices and examines how these practices intertwine with their emotional processes, relational experiences, and internal belief systems. Through thematic analysis of interviews, we illuminated the subjective meaning of rituals, symbols, and beliefs, which do not appear in participants’ lives as random or isolated behaviours but as integral components of their psychological organisation and everyday functioning.
The findings show that superstition extends beyond the scope of simple irrational beliefs; it functions as a means of regulating internal tension, seeking a sense of safety, and establishing control in situations perceived as uncertain or distressing. The phenomenon was analysed through four thematic dimensions derived from the collected data: the elements of superstition, encompassing objects, signs, and ritualised actions through which superstitious behaviour is expressed; the functions of superstition, which demonstrate how rituals alleviate anxiety, prepare individuals for significant events, or prevent undesirable outcomes; the origins of superstition, often rooted in traumatic experiences, intergenerational influences, and subjective confirmations of ritual efficacy; and its consequences, which reveal the ambivalent role of superstition as both a protective and a limiting psychological mechanism.
Within the emotional dynamic, anxiety, fear, guilt, shame, and sadness emerged as central affective states, making superstition a compensatory form of emotional regulation. Rituals frequently appeared as responses to internal psychological pressure, and their sudden interruption was experienced as intensely distressing. The relational dynamic showed that emotional neglect, unequal treatment, or violence within the primary family, as well as emotionally unfulfilling close relationships, significantly contribute to a sense of internal insecurity, within which superstition assumes a symbolic regulatory function. In the domain of beliefs, superstition intertwines with irrational interpretations, wounded self-concepts, and symbolic meaning-making processes that help individuals establish a sense of order and coherence in a world they perceive as unpredictable or threatening.
Overall, the study reveals superstition as a psychologically complex phenomenon that enables individuals to cope, find relief, and maintain internal balance within the context of emotional and relational vulnerability. Rather than a mere collection of irrational ideas, superstition functions as a symbolic strategy of distress regulation, formed at the intersection of affective experience, relational history, and interpretative schemas.
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