Thinking out loud... Paranormal meets Urban Legend/Cultural Encroachment

Often one of the more commonly encountered "hauntings" is that of the urban legend/cultural encroachment. Urban legends/cultural encroachments become interwoven into the culture and history and often transform from fiction to fact. Sometimes urban legends/ cultural encroachments have some ground in reality that has had its' facts blown out of proportion or times its' a matter of real good storytelling. Urban legends/ cultural encroachments may in fact become part of collective memory.


The South is reputable for its' storytelling. Grand embellishments and storytelling ways are actually passed among generations and are encouraged. Festivals and competitions are held annually throughout the South, where more and more people are exposed to this cultural oral tradition. This constant exposure tends to taint the haunting history of an area. The stories often become engrained and develop a life and truth that impacts the actual perception within the population. As these stories are shared at local events or even through print, the story is dispersed and assimilated- often losing its' origins as fiction and becoming truth.


It should be noted, that certain cultural backgrounds increase the "belief" of paranormal happenings being them fact or fiction. With the assimilation of the urban legend/culture encroachment comes the inability to not believe or question it within these culturally suseptible groups. Superstition, as it may be, reflects the cultural tendency to validate even the fictional urban legends/cultural encroachments and percieve and dissiminate them as facts.

This urban legend/cultural encroachment can attribute to overwhelming "evidence" of an event or entity from the aspect of personal experiences. Unfortunate events, mysterious deaths, unaccountable happenings can be pinned to this urban legend/cultural encroachment creating a greater since of validation among the community in which it "lives". This is not to say there may be some validity to some activity in an area, it just may be misappropriated to the activities of the urban legend/cultural encroachment.


It is important to review the details and make comparisons among the reported case and possible tainting by urban legends/cultural encroachments. Often reports of activities will mirror a specific alleged activity of urban legend/cultural encroachment. The demographic and activities of your "witness(es)" or "agent(s)" needs to be reviewed. Often considerations beyond traditional review is required, a more psychological approach may be needed.



In consideration of an "agent", this is an individual who precipitates the alleged event or activity. Often influencing via emotional response, trigger, or even hysteria. A prime example is that of a group of teenagers who are trespassing upon a cemetary after hours. Certain members will respond to this activity with angst. Couple this emotional response with the existing knowledge of an urban legend/cultural encroachment, a likely "experience" will occur during the period of exploration of the cemetary.


Essentially, the angst triggered stress may generate a hyper-response to general mundane occurence -insects, birds, bats, other people. As the overstimulation within the susceptible individual increases, the more likely they are to "contaminate" the group and perpetuate any "manifestation" into a perceived paranormal event and share it through oral conveyance or emotional outburst. This inturn triggers the en masse response to the event or "manifestation".


This is where the investigator(s) must focus more on qualified aspects than quantified. Considerations should be made to interviewing each "witness" separately- parallel stories with too many "shared" points is a red flag. The duration from event to investigation should be noted- the longer the period, the longer the story has had to change and be shared. Interviews of correlative associates of the "witness" not present at the event should be conducted- background on the individual and the hear-say versions may be available via these individuals. Contact with the municipality- is this site known for criminal activity or mischeif. Local historian or archivist should be consulted- these are probably a great resource into the area's urban legends/cultural encroachments.


This is not to say that an urban legend/cultural encroachment is not worth the investigation. On the contrary, this may offer the opportunity to debunk or validate certain occurrences. Effort should be made not to dwell on the urban legend/cultural encroachment by the team members doing the investigation. Minimizing expectation for activity, ensuring an emotional levelness, and limiting fore-knowledge will, hopefully, keep the investigation in the "scientific" and out of the fiction.

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I've more to say on this subject... but later.

I look foward to any comments or input on this subject anyone has.