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THE ORIGINS OF PREGNANCY SUPERSTITIONS RELATING TO CONGENITAL MALFORMATIONS
Author(s) -
Pearn John,
Sweet Judith
Publication year - 1977
Publication title -
oceania
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.356
H-Index - 25
eISSN - 1834-4461
pISSN - 0029-8077
DOI - 10.1002/j.1834-4461.1977.tb01331.x
Subject(s) - pregnancy , congenital malformations , universality (dynamical systems) , developmental psychology , identification (biology) , psychology , genealogy , demography , medicine , history , sociology , biology , genetics , physics , botany , quantum mechanics
Summary PREGNANCY superstitions relating to abnormal foetal development are common in modern societies. The universality and intensity of such beliefs suggest that their origins might be found in less‐modified cultural groups. This study, from Mornington Island, indicates that such beliefs are already highly evolved in Aboriginal peoples. Three types of beliefs are identified — maternal impression, spirit influence and totemic identification. Examples of each type are presented, as they relate to congenital malformation, and reasons advanced for their origin and cultural stability. A knowledge of the origins of such beliefs is of help to the counsellor of parents who have children with congenital malformations.