Page No.203-209
Seema Thakur and R. S. Pirta
Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla
Qualitative methods were used to explore the institution of local deity in the villages
of Taurjazer Panchayat, Mandi District, Himachal Pradesh. The focus was on the
phenomenon of possession and 30 people experiencing it were selected for
quantitative study. A matched group of 30 normal people was taken for making
comparisons on measures of mental health and exploration of cognitions. The
possession group had lower general well-being than the normal group. Secondly,
the possession group indicated a tendency towards neuroticism. Thirdly, continuous
controlled association method was used to elicit the memories related to local
deities a safe haven, a concept based on Bowlby attachment theory. The possession
group recalled greater number of these associations than the comparison group