What Exactly is A Ghost?
A ghost is an alleged non-corporeal manifestation of a dead person (or,
sometimes, an animal or a vehicle). It is often claimed to be a
manifestation of the spirit or soul of a person which has remained on
Earth after death. According to some beliefs, a ghost may be the
personality of a person after his or her death, and not directly tied to
the soul or spirit.
Many cultures throughout the world carry stories about ghosts, though
they often disagree as to what ghosts are and whether they are just
figments of imagination or a part of reality. There is much debate on
whether ghosts are spirits of deceased people or a naturally occurring
phenomenon. Some people believe that ghostly images and sounds occur as
a result of the natural environment "playing back" past events in a
manner similar to that of a tape recorder.
Ghosts, or phantoms, are often depicted of a human size and shape
(although some accounts also mention animal ghosts), but they are often
described as not visually striking. Usually these depictions suggest
that the ghost does not consist of solid matter. The "typical" ghost in
the West is semi-transparent, and does not directly interact with
physical objects. They walk through walls, float above the ground, and
Ghosts are often said to behave as if they were mindlessly following a
particular routine or itinerary (See Residual Haunting). Other ghosts
are described as being solid, interacting with their environment, and
generally behaving much like other people. In some ghost stories,
especially in the Caribbean and Africa, the figure is only identified as
a ghost because an acquaintance knows that the person is already dead.
A Residual Haunting is thought by some to be a replayed haunting in which
no intelligent ghost, spirit, or other entity is directly involved. Much
like a video tape, residual hauntings are playbacks of auditory, visual,
olfactory, and other sensory phenomenon which are attributed to a
traumatic event, life-altering event, or a common event of a person or
place, like an echo of past events.
Residual hauntings often center on moments of intense emotion: someone's
beheading, a great battle, a murder, or even a celebration. Paranormal
researchers theorize that residual hauntings are the result of
discharged personal energy of a person or group of people being
imprinted on the surrounding environment, most commonly at or just after
The Spirit Research Society!