Magical thinking

thumb|Witch-hunting is commonly motivated by religious superstition; pictured is an imaginative depiction of the [[Salem Witch Trials|240x240px]] A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural. It is commonly applied to beliefs and practices surrounding luck, fate, magic, amulets, astrology, fortune telling, spirits, and certain paranormal entities, particularly the belief that future events can be foretold by specific unrelated prior events.

mental disorder involving obsessions and compulsions

belief of New Thought movement

illogical conclusions based on correlated events, or belief that unrelated events are causally connected despite the absence of any plausible causal link between them

prayer and gestures that are perceived to bring divine intervention in physical healing

tendency for people to overestimate their ability to control events

push-button or other control which has apparent functionality but has no physical effect when pressed