Alien abduction
alien abduction (also called abduction phenomenon, alien abduction syndrome, or UFO abduction) refers to the phenomenon of people reporting what they believe to be the real experience of being kidnapped by extraterrestrial beings and subjected to physical and psychological experimentation.[1] People claiming to have been abducted are usually called "abductees"[2] or "experiencers". Most scientists and mental health professionals explain these experiences by factors such as suggestibility (e.g. false memory syndrome), sleep paralysis, deception, and psychopathology.[3] Skeptic Robert Sheaffer sees similarity between some of the aliens described by abductees and those depicted in science fiction films, in particular Invaders From Mars (1953).[4]
"UFO abduction" redirects here. For the 1989 American film, see UFO Abduction (film).
Typical claims involve forced medical examinations that emphasize the subject's reproductive systems.[5] Abductees sometimes claim to have been warned against environmental abuses and the dangers of nuclear weapons,[6] or to have engaged in interspecies breeding.[7] The contents of the abduction narrative often seem to vary with the home culture of the alleged abductee.[4] Unidentified flying objects (UFOs), alien abduction, and mind control plots can also be part of radical political apocalyptic and millenarian narratives.[8]
Reports of the abduction phenomenon have been made all around the world, but are most common in English-speaking countries, especially the United States.[4] The first alleged alien abduction claim to be widely publicized was the Betty and Barney Hill abduction in 1961.[9] UFO abduction claims have declined since their initial surge in the mid-1970s, and alien abduction narratives have found less popularity in mainstream media. Skeptic Michael Shermer proposed that the ubiquity of camera phones increases the burden of evidence for such claims and may be a cause for their decline.[10]
Overview[edit]
Mainstream scientists reject claims that the phenomenon literally occurs as reported. According to John E. Mack, a psychiatrist who gave credence to such claims, most of those who report alien abductions and believe their experiences were real are sane, common people, and psychopathology was associated only with some cases.[11] Mack reported that some abduction reports are quite detailed, and an entire subculture has developed around the subject, with support groups and a detailed mythos explaining the reasons for abductions: The various aliens (Greys, Reptilians, "Nordics" and so on) are said to have specific roles, origins, and motivations. Abduction claimants do not always attempt to explain the phenomenon, but some take independent research interest in it themselves and explain the lack of greater awareness of alien abduction as the result of either extraterrestrial or governmental interest in cover-up.[12]
History[edit]
Paleo-abductions[edit]
While the term "alien abduction" did not achieve widespread attention until the 1960s, modern speculation about some older stories interpreted them as possible cases. UFO researcher Jerome Clark dubbed them "paleo-abductions".[13]