Animistic Patterns of Thought and Worldview in Child and World History

Animism was a major subject in developmental psychology and ethnology. Child psychologists discovered animistic views as inevitable manifestations of mind and worldview of the child. They often did not overlook that the same phenomenon was described by ethnologists in their study of archaic or ancient societies. Likewise, ethnologists had an awareness that there is still another discipline devoted to the study of animism. However, researchers of both disciplines did not understand how to deal with these resemblances. The article describes that the psychology of the child is the sole cause to the existence of animism and that the formal operational stage invariably replaces animism through empirical causality. Accordingly, the prevalence of animism in premodern or archaic societies must be seen as a clear indicator of their lack of the formal operational stage. The article discusses some empirical surveys referring to animistic beliefs conducted among traditional social groups, which refute any relativistic interpretations as they are usual in current cross-cultural psychology for obvious political reasons. It links these empirical surveys to ethnological and historical descriptions concerning nature religion and praxis of judicial ordeals, both originating in animistic views.