Investigating the Degree of Tendency Towards Superstitions and the Factors Affecting It Among the Women of Marivan City

Abstract
Every now and then we hear stories about superstitious beliefs such as the unluckiness of the number 13. The aim of this study is to investigate the level of superstition and the factors affecting it among women in Marivan. The statistical population of the present study is all women aged 18 to 50 in Marivan. According to the 1395 general census and the Cochran formula, the sample size was estimated at 309 people; cluster and convenience sampling methods were used to collect data in the city’s neighborhoods (Dar Siran, Belche Sur, and Jangal Bani). The data collection tools are Foroughi Moghadam’s Superstition Tendency Questionnaire (2009), Melvin Simon’s Social Alienation Questionnaire, and Glock and Stark’s Religiosity Questionnaire. The findings were analyzed using SPSS software, which showed that 0.38 percent of the variance related to the tendency to superstitions is explained by the religiosity component and 0.16 percent by the social alienation component. There is a significant difference between the two independent groups of employed and unemployed in the tendency to superstitions, and the relationship between the level of education and the tendency to superstitions is not significant. Based on this, the results show that components such as the consequential dimensions and rituals of religiosity can predict superstitions, as well as isolation and hatred in social alienation as predictors of superstitions. Although the level of education is not related to the tendency to superstitions, nevertheless, people who are employed pay less attention to superstitions.  
Keywords: Tendency to Superstitions, Religiosity, Social Alienation, Women in Marivan.
 
1. Introduction
In most human societies, superstitions are formed by the emergence of irrational views and behaviors.
The concept of superstitions consists of ideas that are far from rational logic, whose history is as deep as the entire history of humanity; and it should not be taken for granted that in most societies, technology has developed and advanced along with knowledge. But it has not yet been able to convince humans in this regard; In this regard, people have always created and prepared people in their thoughts and views who do extraordinary things outside the natural cycle of life and rely on supernatural matters to maintain order and cohesion in society; and this indicates that legends are formed by historical and social constructions of these beliefs. In the definitions of superstitions obtained in foreign dictionaries, superstition is mentioned as irrational, unscientific, fear, ambiguity, ignorance, etc.; On this basis, superstition has been introduced in the Foreign Dictionary as a false and incorrect knowledge and belief. Among the categories that can be observed in terms of superstition is fear, so it can be said that women are more afraid than men, and this also causes them to tend towards superstitions. Another factor is poverty within families. For example, since Marivan is a multicultural city and most of its residents live in underprivileged areas, i.e., the outskirts of the city, due to their young population, their tendency can be more towards superstition because studies show that the lower strata of society are more inclined towards superstition in terms of economy, knowledge, and information, although this phenomenon is also seen among layers of the upper classes of society in terms of economy. In terms of gender, in our country, women are more inclined towards superstitions; and Marivan is no exception to this, considering these characteristics. Also, in Marivan, the tendency to refer to fortune tellers and prayer writers is common. On the other hand, regarding the factors of tendency to superstition, the agency of individuals is important and studies conducted in this regard show on average that the acceptance of freedom and responsibility are in the same direction. However, in this context, the sense of agency can be separated from objective reality. Superstitious beliefs and practices in traditional societies play a decisive role in culture and society and affect their entire worldview and value system. According to Max Weber, primitive societies lived in a magical garden, while modern societies witness a kind of comprehensive disenchantment of the world. Superstition is an undesirable social phenomenon that, like other social phenomena, can be examined and studied with special methods of social sciences. The motivations of superstition in rural societies originate from strong desires and fears in an unpredictable rural situation that cannot be estimated or discounted by ordinary means. In modern societies, superstitious behaviors are also observed among some people. For example, golfers believed that using various superstitious methods such as showing the thumb, wearing white socks, and playing on Sundays increased luck and, in general, success and continued playing. From this perspective, superstition improves performance. Rastegar and Valipour (1400) showed in a study that age has a decisive effect on the degree of women’s tendency to superstition; however, the lack of a relationship between variables such as education level and household income with the degree of tendency to superstition indicates that this phenomenon is trans-class and trans-educational.
Krakowica and Eisend (2021) show that animalistic (versus non-animalistic) cues elicit animistic thinking, leading to more favorable brand evaluations. This effect is moderated by superstitious beliefs. According to Sagone and Karoli (2015) in a sample of Sicilian students, the more they believe in luck, the more superstitious they are and the less negative they are about it. Finally, the higher the adolescents’ belief in superstitions and the power of luck, the more positive they were about the concepts of superstition and luck.
 
2. Materials and Methods
The present study was applied in terms of purpose and was conducted using a quantitative approach to the survey method. The statistical population of the present study was all women aged 18 to 50 in Marivan who had referred to a prayer writer in any way in the past year. Considering the zoning of Marivan and the old neighborhoods of this city such as (Darsiran and Belche Sur, Janglabani), these areas were considered as clusters, and 1600 women from these clusters were the statistical population. The unit of analysis can be an individual, family, school, community, etc. The unit of analysis in this study is the individual (women in Marivan in the neighborhoods of; Darsiran and Belche Sur, Janglabani). The sample size was obtained from the Cochran formula, so that the sample size required for the study was 309 people; Using cluster sampling method, in which Marivan city was considered as a cluster, then among the aforementioned classified neighborhoods (Darsiran and Belche Sur, Janglabani) were randomly selected, and then among the women of the neighborhoods (Darsiran and Belche Sur, Janglabani) 309 people will be selected by random sampling method. Regarding the implementation of the questionnaires, it was completed in person. A questionnaire on the tendency to superstition was used to collect data. This scale was designed in 2009 by Foroughi and Moghadam to investigate the tendency to superstition among Tehrani citizens, which had 31 questions. Questionnaire on social alienation: The questionnaire on this variable has been operationalized using the four dimensions of Melvin-Siman. This questionnaire has 18 questions and its aim is to assess the level of social alienation from different dimensions (isolation, non-normativity, meaninglessness, self-loathing, powerlessness). Religiosity Questionnaire: To measure the religiosity variable, the well-known Glock and Stark scale was used, and four dimensions of belief, emotion, ritual, and consequence were measured.
 
3. Data
In examining the hypothesis of the relationship between the level of religiosity and the tendency to superstition among women in Marivan, a linear regression model was used. The results of this hypothesis showed that the F value obtained at an error level of less than 0.05 is significant, indicating that the variance related to the tendency to superstition is explained by the components of religiosity. Also, in examining which of the indicators were most able to predict the tendency to superstition, the results showed that ritual and consequential religiosity can significantly explain the variance of the tendency to superstition.
 
4. Discussion
In explaining this hypothesis, it can be said that some people believe that religion and magic are subjects that are complementary and related to each other, religion initially helps a person who is powerless through magic. Magic is like a drinking fountain in which both religion and science can exist simultaneously. In Islamic teachings, magic and superstition stand against religion and science; that is, superstition is a deviation from religion and science.
 
5. Conclusion
The connection between religion and superstition and the correlation of these two categories with each other can occur and be strengthened when every government that gains power uses some kind of religion to justify its actions and mistakes. Just as superstitions are formed in religions and sects to deceive the public.