Autobiographies and Biographies Record Type: Review   ID: 1068
Men and Women of Parapsychology: Personal Reflections Pilkington, Rosemarie (Ed.)
The author interviewed 12 persons over 65 who had devoted most of their careers to psychical research (parapsychology). Her aim was to present "personal reflections by the 'elder statespersons' of the field". . . [as] a means of sharing at least a little of their wisdom with those not fortunate enough to know them" (p. vii). Each of the persons interviewed was asked to address 5 areas: how they became interested in parapsychology, what they felt were their most important contributions, what they might have done differently or how their beliefs might have changed as a result of being in the field of parapsychology, what unusual experiences they might have had that exceeded their previous expectations, and what advice they would give to newcomers to the field. The persons interviewed were 4 psychiatrists (Jan Ehrenwald, Jule Eisenbud, Emilio Servadio, Montague Ullman), a psychologist (Gertrude Schmeidler), a biologist (Bernard Grad), a physicist (Joseph H. Rush), two with literary careers (Renee Haynes and George Zorab), and three full-time parapsychologists (Hans Bender, Eileen Coly, and Karlis Osis). Bibliographies are included for each author and there is a general bibliography at the end of the book. In an interesting Foreword, Stanley Krippner describes a pattern he discerned while reading these essays. This pattern was evident in the factors that predisposed the person to enter the field, the precipitating factors that led each to become identified with parapsychology, and the maintenance factors that made possible their continued involvement. He uses examples from the book to illustrate his points.
Publisher Information:	Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1987. 173p. Bibl: 161-167; Chap bibls; Ind: 169-173

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