Why do people always assume...?

Question

Why do most people always assume there is only one kind of psychic/sensitive? That everyone can read their love life and is precognitive? And where do you think this stereotype came from?

Part Deux:

What types of psychic abilities/sensitivities have you heard of or believe there are?

Answer 1

Those that "assume" have not taken any time to try to study on the subject.

Here are some of different types of "psychic abilities",

Clairvoyance, Clairaudience, Channeling & clairsentience & mediumship.

Answer 2

This assumption is perhaps threefold.

1. People only have experience or exposure to one type

    of psychic person (psychic hotlines, psychic fairs, etc.)

2. People have never undertaken reading and learning

    about psychic abilities in even a semi-serious manner.

3. Skeptics like to use this logical fallacy (straw man) in

    order to support their position.

    A. You claim to be able to read the thoughts of others.

    B. Then if your psychic tell me next weeks lottery

         numbers.

    (disclaimer: this does not apply to all skeptics)

2. There are numerous variations on ESP alone (clairvoyance, clairaudience, precognition, etc, etc.)

Thus, it's hard (and far too long) to list all of them that I am aware of and my beliefs differ on many of the abilities.

Psi

Answer 3

part one--why? Misinformation, aka misunderstanding. people don't understand how it really works. They just get ideas in their heads and the media seems only to reinforce that notion.

Part Deux:

I've experienced all kinds. Mediums, trance mediums (people who lend their bodies for spirits to work through/use), clairvoyants, clairaudients, clairsentients, healers (hands on healing, aka a channel for the universal healing energies) and any combination of all of them.

Answer 4

I don't believe in any type of psychic ability as it is yet to be scientifically proved.

Answer 5

I guess there were so many fakes,and side walk psychics that are out to get your money. You have the gypsy fortune tellers, you have the ones that set up shop and sell milllion dollar candles to gullible people, you have the ones who set up shops as fronts for prostitution and money laundering as well.  So there is atleast a partial answer to your question. I have been reading tarot recently  and have discovered many clairevoyant things about myself as well. I can sometimes channel and sometimes smell things, I can sometimes peep into your home. I am not the same with every body nor can I do what I do each and every time, the messages come out differnt each time. So in my opininon there is no one set way that a psychic can be.

Answer 6

There are many different kinds of psychics and sensitives. It's strange but there are actual specialties, all you have to do is look around.

Answer 7

Clearly psychics can be explained in one of three ways: (1) they truly are psychic; (2) they are frauds, taking advantage of people's gullibility and weaknesses; or (3) they're deluded and self-deceived. Of the three options, the least probable is option number one. "Psychics" who are honest about their deception call themselves mentalists and call their art magic or conjuring. Yet, it is the "psychics," not the mentalists, who are the darlings of the mass media. Thus, when the mass media promote "psychics" for their entertainment or news value, they are either promoting fraud or encouraging delusions. Perhaps the media think that because most parties in the psychic game are consenting adults, that makes it okay. Perhaps the police agree and that is why telepsychics like Miss Cleo can practice without fear of arrest for fraudulently claiming to have psychic powers.

"It seems to me what is called for is an exquisite balance between two conflicting needs: the most skeptical scrutiny of all hypotheses that are served up to us and at the same time a great openness to new ideas.... If you are only skeptical, then no new ideas make it through to you.... On the other hand, if you are open to the point of gullibility and have not an ounce of skeptical sense in you, then you cannot distinguish the useful ideas from the worthless ones" - Carl Sagan, 1987.

Answer 8

because they dont know much about it

esp

telekinesses

Answer 9

I thought "psychic" covered all the different types..like an umbrella

psi...good answer..nice badge!! lol

Answer 10

I believe the reason people make the assumptions you describe is the direct result of deliberate, abysmal ignorance on the subject.  

It gives them room to make blanket statements, but there's also a prideful bluster in their pronouncements.  They love the state of ignorance because it decreases the size of the part of the universe they know nothing about [and are forced to admit to].

I think it came from building a fence around their thinking and maintaining it carefully.  Human beings love the security of the boxes they've built around their thought processes.  It keeps the universe properly in place for them, keeps it behaving itself.

Edit:  

Q:  What types of psychic abilities / sensitivities have you heard of or believe there are?

A:  I believe there are a lot more than most folk who know a great deal about the subject have yet imagined.  The surface hasn't been scratched yet.

Answer 11

I think that general assumption comes from reading horoscopes and seeing frauds like Sylvia Browne perform their tricks on TV. She basically does just want you mentioned -- acts precognitive and advises people on what's going to happen in their lives.

Answer 12

when you assume, you are makeing a,  ***  u   me.

Answer 13

I don't believe there are any, and all scientific evidence in the world agrees with me.

Answer 14

If I had to guess, the stereotype probably began when gypsies travelled through a town and the best way they could make money that they needed was to charge people for predictions...and figured out that they could earn more when they told about a love life than when they predicted death and illnesses.

I believe people can sense the deceased, and maybe even hear them on rare occasions. I also believe we can feel vibrations of other creatures ( NOT aliens!). I think sometimes we can predict the future in fragmented views. I also think we can feel others feelings more than they realize.

Answer 15

Two words: Ignorance and fear. "A person is smart. PEOPLE are dumb panicky animals," as it was so eloquently put in "Men In Black", but it's very true. Have you ever hears of the "Malleous Malefecarum"? It was written back in the 1600's, I believe and I could be wrong, and is a "handbook" for finding, examining and executing witches. Basically what it came down to was if you said you weren't a witch, you were lying, and if you said you were, you were boasting about being a servant of Satan and in either case you were immediately put to death. Very much a danged if you do and danged if you don't kind of situation.

Part Deux: I've heard of empathy, clairvoyance, clairaudiost, psychometry (past events recorded in places or objects), psychic healing, telepathy and telekinesis. There're probably a lot more, but due to time constraints (work, school, and writing), I haven't researched them as well as I might have.

That help at all?

Answer 16

clairvoyance.

Answer 17

Which is easier to believe, that there are as many types of abilities as there are people who claim to have them, or that all abilities are not quite what some people seem to think they are?

I hate to come across as a reductionist, but what is the simplest answer here?

Answer 18

I do not believe in psychic phenomena of any kind because I have never seen evidence to support its existence. Not just no proof, but not even EVIDENCE.