This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the Alien abduction article. This is not a forum for general discussion of the subject of the article.
This article falls under the scope of WikiProject Paranormal, which aims to build a comprehensive and detailed guide to the paranormal and related topics on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, you can edit the attached article, help with current tasks, or visit the project page, where you can join the project and discussions.ParanormalWikipedia:WikiProject ParanormalTemplate:WikiProject Paranormalparanormal
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Skepticism, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of science, pseudoscience, pseudohistory, conspiracy theories, and skepticism related articles on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.SkepticismWikipedia:WikiProject SkepticismTemplate:WikiProject SkepticismSkepticism
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Astronomy, which collaborates on articles related to Astronomy on Wikipedia.AstronomyWikipedia:WikiProject AstronomyTemplate:WikiProject AstronomyAstronomy
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Science Fiction, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of science fiction on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.Science FictionWikipedia:WikiProject Science FictionTemplate:WikiProject Science Fictionscience fiction
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Horror, an attempt to build a comprehensive and detailed guide to fictional horror in film, literature and other media on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, you can edit one of the articles mentioned below, or visit the project page, where you can join the project and contribute to the general Project discussion to talk over new ideas and suggestions.HorrorWikipedia:WikiProject HorrorTemplate:WikiProject Horrorhorror
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Crime and Criminal Biography, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of crime and criminal biography on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.Crime and Criminal BiographyWikipedia:WikiProject Crime and Criminal BiographyTemplate:WikiProject Crime and Criminal BiographyCrime-related
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Law, an attempt at providing a comprehensive, standardised, pan-jurisdictional and up-to-date resource for the legal field and the subjects encompassed by it.LawWikipedia:WikiProject LawTemplate:WikiProject Lawlaw
The subject of this article is controversial and content may be in dispute. When updating the article, be bold, but not reckless. Feel free to try to improve the article, but don't take it personally if your changes are reversed; instead, use the talk page to discuss them. Content must be written from a neutral point of view. Include citations when adding content and consider tagging or removing unsourced information.
{{section link|Dissociative identity disorder|Therapist-induced}} The anchor (,Dissociative identity disorder,) is no longer available because it was deleted by a user before.
The anchors may have been removed, renamed, or are no longer valid. Please fix them by following the link above, checking the page history of the target pages, or updating the links.
Remove this template after the problem is fixed | Report an error
A number of popular researchers seem(ed) to believe in interdimensional or spiritual beings and mind manipulation conspiracy theories, yet there are numerous even less credible sources (UFO cults and radical politics) out there. Even popular researchers are usually "in-universe", it's a challenge to find very credible ones who treat it in a rational naturalist way that avoids revisionism of much of science, while taking in consideration all of psychology, psychiatry, neurology, sociology and culture, tradition, religion and politics (as well as the problems of "regression therapy" and of "abductees" needing to fit their story within stereotypes in attempt to be considered credible; their own subjective culture/fear influenced personal experiences and their interpretations). It's also understandable considering the stigma researchers may face if perceived to take any of it seriously (a problem Mack apparently also faced). And the obvious fact that there's till a lot to learn about the brain and human behavior. This means that it's difficult to find reliable independent sources with significant coverage of the topic and to balance the article for a non-partisan mainstream encyclopedia. Finding sources is as important as editing, so I welcome interested editors to help finding and listing them. Thanks, —PaleoNeonate – 17:48, 11 February 2020 (UTC)[reply]
I didn't rework that section other than converting an undue and style-discouraged box to prose, but there are problems: some researchers or organizations expect certain criteria and abductees will tend to feel pressured to satisfy those, which is not really covered. These steps and phases also appear to be presented as factual sequencial events rather than as common points from the reports literature, a type of living tradition. Since some people do live profound personal experiences, a part also has to do with related cognitive aspects... I'm not sure yet how to present this and quality sources are difficult to find (see my above query for more sources). Thanks, —PaleoNeonate – 17:58, 11 February 2020 (UTC)[reply]
One of the most notable alleged abduction claims, known worldwide, the Italian case of Pier Fortunato Zanfretta, is missing in the list. Please consider that this case is very complex and, at least in its first part (1978-1981), is supported by a lot of witnesses and stricking clues, to the point it was considered chronicle more than an ufology accident. The Italian journalist Rino di Stefano even wrote a very serious and detailed book on this case, which was also translated to English. I am really perlpexed it was not mentioned here ! 95.233.182.121 (talk) 14:57, 7 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]
This page is clearly heavily policed by people who believe in literal abductions. A casual reader would not be aware that there's a significant psychological literature on the psychiatric phenomena reputed to produce abduction narratives without a literal alien abduction. None of the significant authors are listed, other than devoting much of the page to an extreme minority viewpoint. Clearly there's no point trying to make the page reasonably neutral. What's the point of Wikipedia if pages look like this? 60.242.120.201 (talk) 06:08, 8 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]
The intro says that alien abduction refers to the phenomenon of people reporting what they claim to be the real experience. Later sections start with
Mainstream scientists reject claims that the phenomenon literally occurs as reported.
An early alien abduction claim occurred
The precise number of alleged abductees is uncertain.
Where is the policing by abduction believers? I don't see it. If you see any pro-abduction-belief statements, please tell us here. It will be corrected.
.jpg){kind=small}
