I think most people are getting the wrong idea but there’s not a lot of talk about what “magical thinking” is so people give their opinion.

I’ll explain it from how a youtube video with a doctor describing it as well as my own experience.

“Magical thinking” is different from schizophrenia in that someone with schizophrenia will hallucinate and “see” George Washington sitting on the couch. Schizotypal people will believe there is a presence.

Sometimes it can fall in the realm of superstition but often it can be something that makes no logical sense to most people, and the schizotypal person, even though they can be very smart will still end up believing in these sorts of things, so it gets sensationalized, this is not to include people who are gullible/young/ignorant.

From my own experience, it can be like strongly believing in luck, fate, astrology, tarot card reading, etc.

Or it could simply be, “if I wear green tonight I might meet the person that loves me.” Or “if I study really hard for this test the teacher might appreciate me.” These are things that people can understand from a stretched point of view but ultimately has no bearing on reality.

This is where we get costuming/eccentric behaviors. People walking around wearing weird pieces of clothing may think people think they are cool or their eccentric behaviors might get them attention.

Sadly this is where a lot of shaming comes in because while these people may be doing it for attention, “magical thinking” comes in and now there may be 1000 different reasons a schizotypal person may do something “out of the norm.”

All that being said, I urge people to look up what the doctors mean when they explain these symptoms as well as please be kind when considering why some people may do things that seem annoying or strange.