Magical thinking and belief in magic in the structure of psychological defenses and coping strategies

Magical thinking is present in mental life along with logical thinking, without interfering with the normal existence of a person in society. Most often, magical thinking is actualized in emotionally significant situations, including stressful situations. Belief in magic, which denies the known laws of the real world, can also manifest itself in stressful situations. However, unlike magical thinking, it often leads to a decrease in personal adaptability. The fact that belief in magic is actualized in stressful situations as the need to adapt to them suggests that it functions either as a defense mechanism or as a coping strategy. Aim: the paper aims to analyze scientific grounds for classifying belief in magic as one of the above mentioned mental processes. Materials and methods: The CyberLeninka and eLIBRARY.RU electronic libraries were used to find scientific literature in the field. Results: аs a result of the study, it has been shown that belief in magic that is based on magical thinking is a coping strategy. Conclusion: the results of the study are the basis for further research on belief in magic and magical thinking as a coping strategy for various mental and psychosomatic disorders.