Farias and Granqvist (2007) refer to a number of findings made in the related related to uncertain/ambivalent/disorganized affiliation, which may have relevance to this topic: Kaplan (yyy, referenced in Farias &amp. Granqvist, 2007) found that infants classified with disorganized attachment at age six told of child-parent separations with elements of "invisible agents": George and Solomon (1999, referenced in Farias &amp Granqvist, 2007) writes that mothers with disorganized affiliation tended to attribute to their children such as "psycic powers" and the ability to stand in contact with people who have died; Hesse (1999, referenced in Farias &amp. Granqvist, 2007) writes that "disorganized speech" in AAI interviews correlated with the interviewee reporting a variety of experiences and beliefs that are also found in the New Age, such as astrology, notice, contact with the dead, obsession, telepathy and reincarnation; Main (1991; referenced in Farias &granqvist, 2007) writes that research on 6-year-olds with ambivalent attachment has shown that these had difficulty understanding the "privacy of thought", just as they also had an elevated belief in paranormal phenomena and context, and finally NN (yy, referenced in Farias &granqvist, 2007) reports that individuals with an ambivalent/preockupated attachment style liked to read spiritual, esoteric literature.

The authors coined the term "holistic individualism" for this:

"Holistic individualism describes a somewhat paradoxical social-psychological frame, as New Age individuals tend to se themselves connected to a larger universe of being and, yet, the nature of this connection is highly personal and abstract rather then socially embedded" (Farias &granqvist, 2007, p. 126).

Farias and Lalljee (2008)

"[M]agical thinking is characterized by a holistic worldview where entities and events are connected in a way that defies modern rationalistic notions of causality" (p. 288).

Farias and Lalljee (2006, referenced in Farias &granqvist, 2007)

Farias and Granqvist (2007, p. xx) write: "This sense of connectedness is of a cognitive and emotive kind but does not extend into the interpersonal domain, as people with thin boundaries typically find it difficult to feel part of a group"

Cognitive loseness

Farias, Claridge and Lalljee (2005) "100 points"

Farias and Granqvist (2007)

Summary

Magical thinking

About magical thinking, Farias and Granqvist (2007) write that the claim "there is no coincidence" leads the New Age supporter to seek magical connections between much in their everyday lives. New age followers not only share certain beliefs, they seem to share a special cognitive trait and personality orientation that makes them urged to seek meaningful connections between seemingly distant and unrelated things and events.

The authors note that the studies conducted on the New Age and affiliation up to it (Farias &Granqvist, 2007), have "uniformly and strongly supported the compensation hypothesis. Individuals who, according to self-reports or independent judges, have experienced parental insensitivity while growing up are particulary inclined to endorse the New Age" (p.

It is a world of thought that exhibits certain characteristics that are assumed to be familiar to those who have been accused of psychological and/or physical abuse, neglect, etc., during the formative years of childhood.

A person with a disposition for magical thinking does not need to be interested in the new age, even if the probability is greater (Farias &Granqvist, 2007).

"The thin boundaries construct accounts for some characteristics of the New Age religiosity, such as the sense of 'connectedness' and 'holism', as well as a particulary associative thinking style, and an emotional vulnerability or hypersensitivity" (Hartmann, 1991; ref i Farias, Claridge &lalljee, 2005).