The term déjà vu is French and means, literally, "already seen." Those who have experienced the feeling describe it as an overwhelming sense of familiarity with something that shouldn't be familiar at all. For example, you are traveling to London for the first time. You are in the cathedral, and suddenly it seems as if you have been in that place before. Or maybe you are having dinner with a group of friends, discussing some current political topic, and you have the feeling that you've already experienced this very thing - same friends, same dinner, and same topic. The phenomenon is rather complex, and there are many different theories as to why déjà vu happens. The term was introduced by Emile Boirac (1851-1917), who had strong interests in phenomena. Boirac's term directs our attention to the past. What is unique about deja vu is not something from the past but something in the present, namely, the strange feeling one has. We often have experiences the novelty of which is unclear. In such cases we may have been led to ask such questions as, "Have I read this book before?" "This place looks familiar; have I been here before?" We may feel confused, but the feeling associated with the déjà vu experience is not one of confusion, it is one of strangeness. There is nothing strange about not remembering whether you've read a book before, especially if you are fifty years old and have read thousands of books over your lifetime. In the déjà vu experience, however, we feel strange because we don't think we should feel familiar with the present perception. That sense of inappropriateness is not present when one is simply unclear whether one has read a book or seen a film before. The Swiss scholar Arthur Funkhouser suggests that there are several "déjà experiences" and asserts that in order to better study the phenomenon, the nuances between the experiences need to be noted. In the examples mentioned at the beginning, Funkhouser would describe the first incidence as déjà visité ("already visited") and the second as déjà vecu ("already experienced or lived through"). As much as 70 percent of the population reports having experienced some form of déjà vu. A higher number of incidents occur in people 15 to 25 years old than in any other age group. Since déjà vu occurs in individuals with and without a medical condition, there is much speculation as to how and why this phenomenon happens. Several psychoanalysts attribute déjà vu to simple fantasy or wish fulfillment, while some psychiatrists think it is a mismatching in the brain that causes the brain to mistake the present for the past. Many parapsychologists believe it is related to a past-life experience. Obviously, there is more investigation to be done.
Questions to the text. 1. What does the term déjà vu' mean? 2. How do people who have experienced déjà vu describe it? 3. Who introduced the term déjà vu? 4. What is unique about déjà vu? 5. What feelings are associated with the déjà vu experience? 6. What does Anna Funkhouser think about déjà vu? 7. How did Anna Funkhouser classify déjà vu? 8. What age group is most likely to experience déjà vu? 9. How some psychoanalysists explain déjà vu? 10. How parapsychologists explain déjà vu?
Those who have experienced the feeling describe it as an overwhelming
sense of familiarity with something that shouldn't be familiar at all. For
example, you are traveling to London for the first time. You are in the
cathedral, and suddenly it seems as if you have been in that place before.
Or maybe you are having dinner with a group of friends, discussing some
current political topic, and you have the feeling that you've already experienced this very thing - same friends, same dinner, and same topic.
The phenomenon is rather complex, and there are many different theories
as to why déjà vu happens.
The term was introduced by Emile Boirac (1851-1917), who had
strong interests in phenomena. Boirac's term directs our attention to
the past. What is unique about deja vu is not something from the past
but something in the present, namely, the strange feeling one has. We
often have experiences the novelty of which is unclear. In such cases we
may have been led to ask such questions as, "Have I read this book before?" "This place looks familiar; have I been here before?" We may feel
confused, but the feeling associated with the déjà vu experience is not
one of confusion, it is one of strangeness. There is nothing strange
about not remembering whether you've read a book before, especially if
you are fifty years old and have read thousands of books over your lifetime. In the déjà vu experience, however, we feel strange because we
don't think we should feel familiar with the present perception. That
sense of inappropriateness is not present when one is simply unclear
whether one has read a book or seen a film before.
The Swiss scholar Arthur Funkhouser suggests that there are several
"déjà experiences" and asserts that in order to better study the phenomenon, the nuances between the experiences need to be noted. In the
examples mentioned at the beginning, Funkhouser would describe the
first incidence as déjà visité ("already visited") and the second as déjà
vecu ("already experienced or lived through").
As much as 70 percent of the population reports having experienced
some form of déjà vu. A higher number of incidents occur in people 15 to
25 years old than in any other age group.
Since déjà vu occurs in individuals with and without a medical condition, there is much speculation as to how and why this phenomenon
happens. Several psychoanalysts attribute déjà vu to simple fantasy or
wish fulfillment, while some psychiatrists think it is a mismatching in
the brain that causes the brain to mistake the present for the past. Many
parapsychologists believe it is related to a past-life experience. Obviously, there is more investigation to be done.
Questions to the text.
1. What does the term déjà vu' mean?
2. How do people who have experienced déjà vu describe it?
3. Who introduced the term déjà vu?
4. What is unique about déjà vu?
5. What feelings are associated with the déjà vu experience?
6. What does Anna Funkhouser think about déjà vu?
7. How did Anna Funkhouser classify déjà vu?
8. What age group is most likely to experience déjà vu?
9. How some psychoanalysists explain déjà vu?
10. How parapsychologists explain déjà vu?