A Survey on Perception and Attitude of Patients and their Families to the Korean Shamanism

Shim, Hyung Wha; Park, Jum Hee

Abstract

This survey was done to construct a nursing theory according to Korean culture and to identify the Korean traditional view. From ancient time until now, shamanism has played an important role as determinant of Korean culture and of the personality formation of Korean people. The subjects are 321 patients and member of their families who were over 18 years old, and who are living in five large cities and two rural communities on Korea. Data collection was done from March, 8th to April, 29th in 1999. The tool developed by the investigator through literature review was used to measure the perception and the attitude of patients and their families to Korean shamanism. Collected data were analyzed by frequency, percent and test with SPSS program. The results are summarized as follows : 1) While 35% of respondents answered that the destiny or fate was only relied on the abilities and endeavor of individual, 65% of respondents were fatalists or eclectic are compromised between the fate and endeavor. 2) While half of the respondents belief in divination to some degree, the rest of them reported hardly any belief in divination. 3) There were almost twice as many respondents who directly consulted fortunetellers were as respondents who did not consult fortunetellers. 4) The reasons for consulting fortunetellers were job problems, home problems, health problems by in that order. 5) The respondents almost always interpreted the cause of physical disease and mental disease as being psycho-sociological, but 1% of them explained mental disease as a shamanistic manifestation. 6) In case of disease, the reasons for consulting a fortuneteller was a) no hope of recovery from the sickness in any other way, b) the chronic disease in that order. 7) Of the respondents, 65% answered that disease could not be cured by a 'Gut'(the performance done by the shaman), but 27% of respondents thought that disease could be cured by a 'Gut' in the case of mental disease. 8) Sixty six percent of the respondents answered that they have experienced praying for their wishes with clean water. 9) While 54% of the respondents answered that they have seen or heard the 'Beung Gut'(the performance to pray for recovery of sickness done by the shaman), 46% responded that they have they have never seen or heard it. 10) To the question, "do you intend to have a 'Beung Gut'", 51.7% of respondents answer "no" stongly, but 48% of them say "yes" or took a compromising attitude. 11) Generally the respondents differed in perception and attitude to shamanism. In short, females more than males, old aged more than younger aged, lower educated more than higher educated, believers in Buddhism more than believers in any other religion, and blue color more than white color have more positive attitudes to shamanism. Also men living in rural communities have more positive attitude to shamanism than men living in the large cities. Consequently, Shamanism can be understood as an anxiety relieving cultural system even though Shamanism itself looks like a cultural complex.