Mandy Robbins

The psychological type profile of Anglican churchgoers in England : compatible or incompatible with their clergy?

Abstract In this study psychological type theory was employed to profile samples of 2,135 women and 1,169 men in the context of Anglican church services in England in order to establish how representative churchgoers are of the wider population and how compatible churchgoers are with their clergy. The women displayed preferences for sensing (82 %), feeling (70 %), and judging (85 %), with a balance between extraversion (51 %) and introversion (49 %). The men displayed preferences for introversion (62 %), sensing (78 %), thinking (58 %), and judging (86 %). These characteristics are compared with the United Kingdom population norms to establish the distinctiveness of Anglican churchgoers and compared with previously published data on Anglican clergy to establish the points of similarity, differences and potential tension between Anglican clergy and laity. Zusammenfassung In dieser Studie wurde anhand einer Stichprobe von 2135 Frauen und 1169 Männern eine psychologische Typentheorie – der Myer-Briggs-Typen-Indikator – genutzt, um zu überprüfen, inwiefern die Kirchenmitglieder der anglikanischen Kirche einerseits in dieser Hinsicht repräsentativ für die gesamte Bevölkerung sind und andererseits inwieweit sie mit ihren Geistlichen übereinstimmen. Bei den Frauen konnten Präferenzen im Bereich Sensing (82 %), Feeling (70 %) und Judging (85 %) und ein Gleichgewicht zwischen Extraversion (51 %) und Introversion (49 %) analysiert werden. Bei den Männern ließ sich eine Präferenz der Introversion (62 %), des Sensing (78 %) und Thinking (58 %) sowie Judging (86 %) messen. Im Vergleich zur Bevölkerung Groß Britanniens und den anglikanischen Geistlichen wurden dann die spezifischen Charakteristika der anglikanischen Kirchenmitglieder herausgearbeitet und Gemeinsamkeiten und Unterschiede sowie potentielle Spannungen insbesondere zwischen den anglikanischen Geistlichen und den Laien beschrieben.

All types are called, but some are more likely to respond: the psychological profile of rural Anglican churchgoers in Wales

Abstract In principle churches proclaim their invitation to worship to all sectors of the population. In practice some sectors appear more willing to respond. Alongside the more visible demographic bias in terms of sex and age, this study draws attention to the less visible bias in terms of psychological type. New data provided by 185 rural Anglican churchgoers who completed the Francis Psychological Type Scales demonstrated that there were significantly higher proportions of individuals reporting ISFJ and ESFJ preferences in church congregations than in the population of men and women at large.

The relationship between work-related psychological health and psychological type among clergy serving in the Presbyterian Church (USA)

This study examines the relationship between work-related psychological health and the Jungian model of psychological type among a sample of 748 clergy serving within The Presbyterian Church (USA). Psychological type was assessed by the Francis Psychological Type Scales which provide classification in terms of orientation (extraversion or introversion), perceiving (sensing or intuition), judging (thinking or feeling) and attitude toward the outer world (extraverted judging or extraverted perceiving). Work-related psychological health was assessed by the Francis Burnout Inventory which distinguishes between positive affect (the Satisfaction in Ministry Scale) and negative affect (the Scale of Emotional Exhaustion in Ministry). The data demonstrated that these clergy display high levels of negative affect coupled with high levels of positive affect. The data also confirmed that the main association between work-related psychological health and psychological type is a function of the orientations (the source of psychological energy). Compared with clergy who prefer introversion, clergy who prefer extraversion display both higher levels of satisfaction in ministry and lower levels of emotional exhaustion in ministry. These findings are consistent with the theory that the extraverted nature of ministry requires introverted clergy to operate for considerable periods of time outside their preferred orientations, with the consequent loss of energy and the consequent erosion of psychological rewards. Strategies are suggested for enabling introverted clergy to cope more effectively and more efficiently with the extraverted demands of ministry.

Assessing attitude toward Hinduism: The Santosh–Francis Scale

The Santosh–Francis Scale of Attitude toward Hinduism has been designed to facilitate research concerning the psychological correlates of religiosity among young people growing up within the Hindu tradition, and in a way that allows findings from such research to be compared with similar studies conducted within other religious traditions using the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity, the Katz–Francis Scale of Attitude toward Judaism, and the Sahin–Francis Scale of Attitude toward Islam. Data provided by 330 individuals between the ages of 12 and 35 attending a Hindu youth festival support the reliability and validity of this instrument and commend it for further use in studies conducted within the Hindu community.

Attitudes toward Education for Global Citizenship among Trainee Teachers

93 A the concept of ‘education for global citizenship’ is being used with increasing frequency and confidence both in the literature and in public debate (see, for example, Qualifications, Curriculum and Assessment Authority for Wales, 2002) the concept itself remains quite fluid and inclusive, drawing on diverse roots in the world studies movement, citizenship education, notions of global citizenship, and programmes of personal, social and moral education. Historically, education for global citizenship in the United Kingdom was stimulated in the 1970s and 1980s by the world studies movement as reflected in the work of Richardson (1976) and Fisher and Hicks (1985). Fisher and Hicks (1985, p. 8) defined world studies as ‘studies which promote the knowledge, attitudes and skills that are relevant to living responsibly in a multi-cultural and interdependent world’. Their notion of world studies included studying cultures and countries other than one’s own (and the ways in which they are different from and similar to one’s own), major issues which face different countries and cultures (for example, those to do with peace and conflict, development, human rights and the environment), and the ways in which everyday life and experience affect, and are affected by, the wider world. In the first major evaluation of world studies, conducted among over 200 teachers, Steiner (1992) found that teachers were quite selective regarding the aspects of the world studies curriculum which they included in their classroom practice. They were happy to incorporate teaching relating to the environment or to other cultures, but tended to ignore more complex global issues. Steiner (1992, p. 9) concluded that:

Understanding cathedral visitors: psychological type and individual differences in experience and appreciation.

This article examines the experience and appreciation of 381 visitors to St Davids Cathedral in West Wales through the lens of Jungian psychological type theory. The data demonstrate that St Davids Cathedral attracts more introverts than extraverts, more sensers than intuitives, and more judgers than perceivers, but equal proportions of thinkers and feelers. The data also demonstrate that different aspects of the visitor experience appeals to different psychological types. Sensers are more attracted than intuitives by the facts, information, and data they encounter on their visit. Feelers are more attracted than thinkers by the atmosphere and wider ambience generated by the cathedral during their visit. The implications of these findings are discussed for understanding and developing the way in which cathedrals may develop the visitor experience.

Correlation between religion and happiness: a replication.

For a sample of 89 students in Wales who completed the Oxford Happiness Inventory and the Francis Scale of Attitude Toward Christianity scores correlated .38.

God images and self-worth among adolescents in Scotland

A sample of 866 young people between the ages of 12 and 15 in Scotland completed measures of self-worth and God images. The data demonstrate a positive relationship between self-worth and images of God as loving and forgiving, and a negative relationship between self-worth and images of God as cruel and punishing.

The relationship between religious orientation, personality, and purpose in life among an older Methodist sample

The construct of purpose in life is a key notion discussed both by psychologists and by theologians. There are good theoretical reasons for linking the two constructs and arguing that religiosity could enhance the sense of purpose in life. The empirical evidence for the relationship is, however, not unambiguous. A major difficulty with earlier research concerns the problematic nature of defining both purpose in life and religiosity. The present study attempts to clarify the problem by employing new recently developed measures of both constructs. The Purpose in Life Scale provides a clear and unambiguous measure. The New Indices of Religious Orientation re-operationalize the three constructs of intrinsic, extrinsic, and quest religiosity as three different ways of being religious. Both instruments were completed together with the Short-form Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised by 407 older Methodists in England. The data demonstrate that, after controlling for individual differences in personality, intrinsic religiosity is associated with a better sense of purpose in life, and both quest religiosity and extrinsic religiosity are unrelated to a sense of purpose in life.

Religion, Personality, and Well-being: The Relationship Between Church Attendance and Purpose in Life

A sample of 517 first-year, undergraduate students attending an Anglican College in Wales completed the Purpose-in-Life Scale (PILS) together with the short-form Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQR) and a measure of church attendance. After controlling for individual differences in personality, the data demonstrate a significant positive correlation between church attendance and scores on the PILS. A growing body of evidence indicates that attendance at religious services tends to promote the psychological wellbeing of college students.