Adolescent Involvement with the Occult, Black Magic, Witchcraft and the Satanic to Manage Feelings of Despair
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University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 1-1-1989 Playing with the devil : adolescent involvement with the occult, black magic, witchcraft and the satanic to manage feelings of despair. Barry H. Sparkes University of Massachusetts Amherst Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1 Recommended Citation Sparkes, Barry H., "Playing with the devil : adolescent involvement with the occult, black magic, witchcraft and the satanic to manage feelings of despair." (1989). Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014. 4496. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1/4496 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. PLAYING WITH THE DEVIL: ADOLESCENT INVOLVEMENT WITH THE OCCULT BLACK MAGIC, WITCHCRAFT AND THE SATANIC TO MANAGE FEELINGS OF DESPAIR A Dissertation Presented by BARRY H. SPARKES Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Massachusettes in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION SEPTEMBER 1989 School of Education © Copyright Barry H. Sparkes 1989 All rights reserved PLAYING WITH THE DEVIL : ADOLESCENT INVOLVEMENT WITH THE OCCULT BLACK MAGIC, WITCHCRAFT AND THE SATANIC TO MANAGE FEELINGS OF DESPAIR A Dissertation Presented by BARRY H. SPARKES Approved as to style and content by: JotytY W. Wideman, rson of Committee ZL Fred Bemak, Member / ml Wade Clarkk Roof,'Member Marilyn Hanftg-Hidore,Haring Dean School of Education acknowledgements There are several individuals whose help and guidance aided me in this project. Ftrst, it must be said that the youths who offered to be part of this study offered inspiration and insight that cannot be underestimated. Their journey through very painful times and their insight into themselves and our society are worthy of my respect and gratitude. My gratitude also goes out to Tri-County Youth Programs Inc., where I was offered the opportunity to find the subjects I needed and also generous support to seek and gain my advanced degree. To Jack Wideman, my chair person, Fred Bemak, and Sheldon Cashdan, Clark Roof thanks and appreciation for steady knowledgeable support. One could not ask for better cooperation and advice. My thanks and love to: The Hoffman family for their support and the use of their library. Eliza Sparkes and Noah Sparkes because of their interest in the project and more importantly their tolerance of my time away from them. Betty Tanzer Sparkes who by her intuition, intellect, love, and hope provided support both spiritual and intellectual always at the perfect moment using both synchronicity and magic with a grace unknown to most people. Janet Weber who provided love, clarity, strength, and patience to turn my chaos into order. iv ABSTRACT PLAYING WITH THE DEVIL : ADOLECSENT INVOLVEMENT WITH THE OCCULT BLACK MAGIC, WITCHCRAFT AND THE SATANIC TO MANAGE FEELINGS OF DESPAIR SEPTEMBER 1989 BARRY H. SPARKES, B. A., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS M. Ed., SPRINGFIELD COLLEGE ED. D., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS Directed by: Dr. John Wideman This dissertation examines the use of the dark areas of the occult in the lives of six early adolescents who have been involved with black magic, satanic ritual, or other occult practices which imply the use of witchcraft or sorcery. All but one of the subjects were somehow connected to the community helping system because of divorce, abuse and/or neglect, delinquency, and drug and alcohol abuse. Data was collected by means of an open ended interview (hour and half duration) concerned with the ethnic, economic and religious background of the subjects' parents and grandparents, the life story of the subjects in terms of relationships with family, community and state agencies, and extent duration of involvement with the occult. The interview and data analysis were drawn from two perspectives : The first five stages of Erik Erikson’s "Eight Stages of Man" identity development model and the existential psychological explanation of the "problems of youth" as examined by Paul Goodman in Growing Up Absurd (1960). The study provides an examination of the historical and current use of the occult as a social-strain gage as described in the literature. The study also points out v disturbing parallels of despairing behavior between the youth culture of Weimar Republic Germany and current youth culture in the United Sates. A developmental/existential profile of the subjects is drawn based on the analysis of interview material. S The study points to a strong connection between the use of the dark areas of the occult and the loss of meaning, hope and faith in the lives of the subjects defined as despair and alienation. The subjects of the study were seen as having been in family and community circumstances that hampered healthy negotiation of Erik Erikson’s first five stages of identity development; I. Basic Trust vs. Mistrust; II. Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt; III. Initiative Vs. Guilt; IV. Industry Vs. Inferiority, and V. Identity Vs. Role Confusion. The subjects were also seen as having been in community and national circumstances that led to despairing beliefs and behaviors, as described by Goodman, such as: questioning faith, doing the forbidden, engaging in mystical experiences as subsitutes for meaningful work based on faith, doing the forbidden, raising the ante in order to be rescued, and re-integrated into the community. The experience of one subject of the six who did not grow up in the severity of the above circumtances, but who was drawn to the lighter areas of the Occult (Wiccan, non- satanic, etc.), contrasts with the other five. His data suggests that the nature of the use of magic during early adolescence might be dependent on the suffiency of the nurturent (physical, psychological and ideological) circumstances of infancy, and latency. If the child is not despairing because of insufficient family/community nurturence then the dark, deviant and depraved element of the occult is less likely to manifest itself. The author proposes that the subjects of this study represent a larger despairing youthful population (not involved with the occult) that may not yet be seen by the helping system but who put society at risk because of the years of great societal expense to manage their needs. The author uses the current youth culture parallels with Weimar Republic youth culture to further propose that this larger despairing population is at risk vi politically because as a group they can be manipulated by historical circumstance and charismatic personalities to commit widespread depravity in the name of political change. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .iv ABSTRACT. .v Chapter I. OVERVIEW OF STUDY Introduction.1 Statement of the Problem and Rationale..I..2 Purpose of the the Study .6 Design of the Dissertation.6 Methodology.7 Limitations of the Study.8 n. A REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE.9 Introduction.9 A Developmental View: Erikson et al.10 Adolescents at Risk of Deviancy and Delinquency. 17 Meaning, Faith,Ideology Hope vs.Despair.17 Alienation.22 Hopelessness and Helplessness, Alienation in Research. 25 Suicide.27 Significance and Causes.30 Psychobiological .32 Developmental/Existential .33 Delinquent and Despairing Youth Considered Existentially Paul Goodman's Work... Orientation in the Darker Areas of the Occult. Discriminations and Definitions.40 Black Magic...41 Witchcraft vs. Satanism.4:5 Witchcraft’s Function in Society.45 Current Explanations . 0 What Do These Occult Practices Do for Youth?...5q Summary of Occult Section. vm Weimar Youth Culture And Modem Youth Parallels. A Summary Using Modem Parallels Between Current Youth Culture as Exemplified in the Media and Weimar Youth Culture. HI. METHODLOGY. Description of Research Methodology.59 Research Design.59 Subject Selection .60 Description of Participating Subjects.61 Data Collection.62 Data Recording and Coding.64 Analysis of Data.65 IV. RESULTS .67 Introduction.67 Profile Of Subjects.69 Present Status.69 Backround and Family History.70 Parents Lives .71 Self .73 First Memories both good and bad. 73 Relationships with parents, siblings and other family members. 75 Life in neighborhood, community, and school. 78 Friends, models and heroes. 82 Religious training, beliefs and history with organized religion . 86 Summary of religous question. 88 Awareness of wider environment. 90 Contact with community helping agencies, police, etc. 90 Experience with Occult Activity. 92 Developmental Inferences In Terms of 103 Erikson's Stages. Stage I: Basic Trust Vs. 104 Basic Mistrust. Stage II: Autonomy Vs. 106 Shame and Doubt... 108 Stage IILInitiative Vs. Guilt. 110 Stage IV:Industry Vs. Inferiority. Stage V:Indentity Vs. Role Confusion . .111 IX Summary of Developmental Inferences Made from Data. j j ^ Existential Inferences Based on Goodman’s "Problems of Youth" . Circumstances: Subjects one, two, three, four, five and six . Ug Beliefs and Behaviors. U6 Subject Number One. 115 Subject Number Two.117 Subject Number Three. 118 Subject Number Four...119 Subject Number Five. 120 Subject Number Six.121 Summary of Goodman Section.122 Summary of Chapter IV, Results.122 V. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS .126 Introduction .126 Discussion of Results.127 The Use of the Occult to Manage