Psychosocial hypothesis
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 📖 Term
Contents 5
| Type | Term |
|---|---|
| Also known as | psychosocial UFO hypothesis, PSH |
The psychosocial hypothesis (PSH) is the view that many UFO reports are best explained by psychological and social factors, such as expectations, beliefs, rumours and cultural images, rather than by alien spacecraft. It is especially associated with British researchers around the magazine Magonia and with French ufology from the late 1970s.[1]
Origins
The term gained prominence in English in April 1984, when Magonia ran "The Rise of the Psycho-social Hypothesis" by Jacques Scornaux and Peter Rogerson. It grew out of French debates sparked by Michel Monnerie's books Et si les ovnis n'existaient pas? (1977) and Le Naufrage des extra-terrestres (1979).[1] Supporters include researchers such as David Clarke and Hilary Evans and many contributors to Fortean Times.[1]
The argument
Supporters start from the fact that most UFO reports turn out to have ordinary causes, such as stars, aircraft and balloons, and argue that an emotional climate of expectation can make ordinary things seem strange. They point out that more than 70 people claimed to have met Venusians and more than 50 Martians, although both planets are now known to be uninhabited, which suggests that such stories come from the mind and culture.[1] Unlike simple debunking, the PSH treats UFO reports as worth serious study.[1]
Carl Jung
Psychologist Carl Jung's 1958 book Flying Saucers: A Modern Myth of Things Seen in the Skies is often seen as a founding work of the approach. When an American news agency reported that he believed flying saucers were real, Jung said the report was false and that he was uncommitted, adding that news affirming UFOs seemed welcome while skepticism was not.[1]
Historical waves
Researchers in this school have studied earlier waves of sightings, such as a 1905 outbreak in Wales and the 1909 phantom airship panic in Britain, paying attention to their social, religious, political and scientific background.[1]
References
- Psychosocial UFO hypothesis — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
This page was last edited on 31 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.
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