Bewitchment, Biology, or Both: The Co‐Existence of Natural and Supernatural Explanatory Frameworks Across Development

TLDR

The study examined how natural and supernatural explanations for illness coexist across developmental stages. The authors surveyed 366 participants aged 5 to 15 and adults from two Sesotho‑speaking South African communities where biomedical and traditional healing frameworks are both available. Results showed that while biological explanations were widely endorsed, bewitchment beliefs were also common and used alongside biology—especially among adults—demonstrating that natural and supernatural explanations coexist across development.

Abstract

Three studies examined the co-existence of natural and supernatural explanations for illness and disease transmission, from a developmental perspective. The participants (5-, 7-, 11-, and 15-year-olds and adults; N = 366) were drawn from 2 Sesotho-speaking South African communities, where Western biomedical and traditional healing frameworks were both available. Results indicated that, although biological explanations for illness were endorsed at high levels, witchcraft was also often endorsed. More important, bewitchment explanations were neither the result of ignorance nor replaced by biological explanations. Instead, both natural and supernatural explanations were used to explain the same phenomena, and bewitchment explanations were highest among adults. Taken together, these data provide insight into how diverse, culturally constructed belief systems about illness co-exist across development.