POSSESSION BY THE ZAR AMONG ETHIOPIAN IMMIGRANTS TO ISRAEL - PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OR CULTURE-BOUND SYNDROME

The article describes a cultural pattern related to altered states of consciousness, observed amongst new immigrants from Ethiopia to Israel . The belief in possession by Zar spirits is one of the most common po ssession phenomena in Africa and in other continents. Possession by Za r is expressed by a wide range of behaviors, such as involuntary movem ents, mutism and incomprehensible language. Such behavior can be misin terpreted as representing symptoms of neuralgic or psychiatric disorde rs. We demonstrate the Zar phenomenon by a description of a detailed c ase. The article discusses the cultural and anthropological aspects of the Zar and its clinical implications and suggests that the Zar pheno menon should be understood as a culture-bound syndrome.