Week Five: Research Proposal Final Draft

Are deja vu experiences potentially
connected to the theory of synchronicity?

Working Title: Synchronizing the Conscious Mind and False Recollection Events

Topic: 

The goal of my research paper is to investigate the parallels between Carl Jung’s theory of synchronicity and the deja vu phenomenon. By conducting research about both subjects through a specific lens, I will use synchronicity as a lens through which to examine some people's experiences of "deja vu" as a "meaningful coincidence.” 

Research Question: 

Are people more prone to experiencing deja vu experiences if they are consciously aware of these occurrences, just as Jung theorizes people become more prone to synchronicities once they initially recognize them?

Theoretical Frame: 

Carl Jung’s informative text Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle is my primary foundation for building my own synthesis between deja vu and synchronicity. The specific chapter that I will be implementing into my own writing is titled Synchronicity. In his writing, Jung proposes that synchronicities are more-often recognized by those who give meaning to these experiences, and once people distinguish synchronicities as significant, they are more likely to occur in higher volumes. Jungian theories about how the experience is subjective to the mind of the experiencer may be used to compare synchronicity to the deja vu phenomenon, which is usually recognized more by experiencers who give the occurrence meaning.

In order to highlight the parallels being built between each theory, I will include both a case study involving a frequent experiencer of deja vu and a connecting journal piece written by O’Connor and others, which provides scientific explanations for the subjectivity of the deja vu experience, and begins to connect deja vu to the “erroneous” association of events in the conscious mind. An important quote included in this peer-reviewed journal, called “Novel Insights into False Recollection: A Model of Déjà Vécu,” is found in the introduction, which states, “Researchers have converged on a definition of déjà vu that emphasises the (erroneous) sensation of familiarity, and the subjective nature of the state. In healthy people, it is hypothesised that the state arises temporarily as a result of an erroneous sensation of familiarity” (O’Connor et al.). This statement above can be used to link deja vu to synchronicity because it shows that both phenomena result from a person linking otherwise-unrelated events. The words “in healthy people” used in this statement also give rise to the extending question regarding my research: is this phenomenon a result of the conscious or subconscious mind? Since this source investigates those facing mental illnesses and those not, a cross-analysis of differing experiences based on psychological illnesses may potentially give rise to an answer. More information about increased occurrences and higher levels of awareness of the phenomenon are investigated in this source, as well--there is an entire section dedicated to case studies of the phenomenon, which are primarily explained by medical professionals.

Other important sources that I will utilize in my research paper will address the debate between the subconscious and the physiological roots of deja vu. More-generalized sources, such as the article written by Stefano Micali titled “The Repetition of a Singularity: Phenomenology of Déjà Vu”, will provide the groundwork for the scientifically-accepted explanation for the phenomenon. To supplement the widely-accepted prognosis for deja vu experiencers, I will introduce the less-conventional theories of increased awareness causing spikes in recognizable false-memory occurrences, which are explained in great detail within Cleary and Claxton’s scientific journal titled “Deja Vu: An Illusion of Prediction.” The authors are sure to include the scientific foundations of understanding in their research, but expand upon the current explanations with scientifically-supported observations, stating, “The results suggest that feelings of premonition during déjà vu occur and can be illusory. Metacognitive bias brought on by the state itself may explain the peculiar association between déjà vu and the feeling of premonition” (Cleary and Claxton). By utilizing a source concentrated on the further analysis of the theoretical explanations of deja vu, I can utilize a synchronicity-focused lens during my analysis in order to synthesize a solid theory involving the connection between the deja vu phenomenon and Jungian ideas.

Primary Case Study:

My strongest case study to be analyzed within my research paper is titled “Persistent Psychogenic Déjà Vu: A Case Report.” This scientific article, written by Wells and others, investigates the case of a British 23-year-old suffering from excessive deja vu experiences. Some factors that were recognized by researchers were the subject’s frequent feelings of anxiety, which is described as a potential catalyst for his constant feelings of recollection. An important discussion is included towards the end of this study, which concludes that 

“[The study’s] case is aware of the abnormal familiarity in his memory, and is in fact greatly distressed by it. This suggests two dimensions along which déjà vu experiences can vary: awareness and distress...In relation to our case, distress caused by the déjà vu experience may itself lead to increased levels of déjà vu: similar feedback loops in positive symptoms are reported in other anxiety states” (Wells et al.).

Essentially, this study gives concrete scientific support in order to answer my research question. By performing a case study on an anxiety-ridden subject, researchers were able to successfully conclude that the frequency of deja vu experiences is based primarily on the awareness of such events, which may directly link the deja vu phenomenon to Carl Jung’s theory of synchronicity by building a parallel based on the conscious mindset.

Bibliography: 

Cleary, Anne M., and Alexander B. Claxton. “Déjà Vu: An Illusion of Prediction.” Psychological Science, vol. 29, no. 4, Apr. 2018, pp. 635–644, doi:10.1177/0956797617743018.

Forrer, Kurt. “Synchronicity: Did Jung Have It Right?” International Journal of Dream Research, vol. 8, no. 2, Oct. 2015, pp. 152–163. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=111140906&site=ehost-live.

Forrer, Kurt. “The Dream as Posthypnotic Command.” Sleep and Hypnosis, vol. 19, no. 4, Yerkure Tanitim ve Yayincilik Hizmetleri A.S, 2017, pp. 83–88, doi:10.5350/Sleep.Hypn.2016.18.0126.

Forrer, Kurt. “‘To Test or Not to Test; That Is the Question.’: Is There a Way of Verifying the Validity of the Interpretation of Our Dreams?” International Journal of Dream Research, vol. 7, no. 2, Oct. 2014, pp. 153–169. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=118205053&site=ehost-live.

Jung, C. G. “Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle.” Synchronicity, Princeton University Press, 2015, pp. 1–2, doi:10.1515/9781400839162-003.

Kime, Philip. “Synchronicity and Meaning.” Journal of Analytical Psychology, vol. 64, no. 5, Nov. 2019, pp. 780–797. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/1468-5922.12546.

Lawson, Thomas T. “Synchronicity.” Carl Jung, Darwin of the Mind, 1st ed., Routledge, 2008, pp. 177–201, doi:10.4324/9780429472701-5.

Micali, Stefano. “The Repetition of a Singularity: Phenomenology of Déjà Vu.” Philosophy Today, vol. 62, no. 3, Summer 2018, pp. 897–1007. EBSCOhost, doi:10.5840/philtoday20181130243.

O’Connor, Akira R., et al. “Novel Insights into False Recollection: A Model of Déjà Vécu.” Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, vol. 15, no. 1-3, Taylor & Francis Group, 2010, pp. 118–44, doi:10.1080/13546800903113071.

Wells, C., Moulin, C., Ethridge, P., Illman, N., Davies, E., & Zeman, A. (2014). Persistent psychogenic déjà vu: a case report. Journal of Medical Case Reports, 8(1), 414–414. https://doi.org/10.1186/1752-1947-8-414

Williams. Non-Designer’s Design Book, The. Pearson India, 2008.