Meningsskapande i samtiden - en fokusgruppundersökning om vad det innebär att tro på oförklarliga fenomen i ett sekulariserat senmodernt samhälle som Sverige

Sammanfattning: The aim of this thesis is to survey and map out what it means to believe in unexplainable phenomena, that is phenomena not scientifically explained, in a secular late modern society. The study is explorative and used methods are five focus group interviews supplemented with a questionnaire, performed in southwest of Sweden. Used theories in the inductive analysis to explain belief in unexplainable phenomena at a macro level are the secularization theory, subjectivizing theories, theory of late modern society, socialization theories and the theory of invisible religion, and at a micro level theories of meaning making and theories of cognitive science of religion. The deduction of the study is that belief in unexplainable phenomena is meaning making in several ways in a contemporary late modern society and a possible resource of sense of coherence (SOC), resilience and wellbeing, and that there is no disagreement between belief in unexplainable phenomena and science, but to institutional religion, interpretative prerogative and religious authorities of different kinds. Narratives of experiences of unexplainable phenomena are not only meaning making, but the main approach to explain and legitimize the belief in unexplainable phenomena. However most of the informants have some fear of being regarded as dopey or half-witted, hence it’s common not openly talk about the belief, but to find and choose a secure constructive and sharing context off- or online. In summary this study shows that new approaches and methods are needed to be able to better capture contemporary none institutional religion, religiosity and spirituality as a cultural phenomena, not at least to include belief in unexplainable phenomena in studies of contemporary religiosity.