Determining the relationship between mental health and occult superstitious consumption

Al Meleehan, Abdullah

Abstract

This piece of research is instigated by the growth of interest over recent decades in the occult/superstitious and in their consumption. The phenomenon is investigated by a thorough and critical literature review with special reference to psychological, philosophical and theological perspectives. From the literature, a number of research questions were formulated, namely the lack of knowledge concerning the relationship between occult and superstitious consumption; and mental health. This is despite a number of studies within psychology that have established a relationship between occult/ superstitious beliefs and cognitions with mental health indicators.

This study adopts a positvist approach to investigating this relationship and uses a survey approach as its main methodological choice. A survey of 474 members of the British public forms the study sample. A conceptual framework linking occult/superstitious beliefs and consumption to life satisfaction and psychological distress – as correlates of mental health – with attitude to advertising acceptability is developed and tested using structural equation modelling. The results confirm the occult/superstitious consumption- mental health link for the first time in the literature. The discussion highlights the implications of the findings for public policy and the management of a growing occult/ superstitious consumption culture within the UK.

This study is the first study to actually determine the positive effect of occult/superstitious consumption on mental health and as such raises the alarm even further on the regulation of the occult practices as a clear and positive pathway was found. Furthermore as mental health develops then attitude towards advertising regulation reduces further raising concerns that a vicious cycle may be operating of mental health consequences of occult consumption which are having a society wide relaxed approach to harmful occult consumption practices.

Citation

Al Meleehan, A. (2015). Determining the relationship between mental health and occult superstitious consumption. (Thesis). University of Hull. Retrieved from https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4223132

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Apr 21, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 23, 2023
• Keywords: Business
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4223132
• Additional Information: Business School, The University of Hull
• Award Date: Jan 1, 2015