“The Psychosocial Dimension of the Embodiment of Spirit among Umbanda Mediums” by Wellington Zangari
February 23, 2022
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Dr. Wellington Zangari presents his paper “Incorporating Roles: The Psychosocial Dimension of the Embodiment of Spirits among Umbanda Mediums”. The paper analyzes the psychosocial dimension of mediumship related to the embodiment of spirits, from the point of view of Hjalmar Sundén's Role Theory. The subjects studied were 12 Umbanda mediums, 11 of whom were female and 1 male, between 16 and 61 years-of-age, all participants of the Spiritist Temple of Umbanda Xangô Agodô, in São Paulo, Brazil. It is concluded that mediumship which includes the embodiment of “spirits” can be understood as a complex social role that is comprised of both social and individual elements. The “incorporated” entities are considered to be psychosocial constructs, therefore the mediums are, at the same time, their interpreters and their co-authors.