Michael Fearn

Religion and Personality among Religious Studies Students: A Replication

To replicate the 1999 work of Francis and Fearn, 360 religious studies students between the ages of 16 and 18 years completed the abbreviated Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire and the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity. Analysis confirmed the results of Francis and Fearn and supported the general finding that scores on Psychoticism (r = –.25), but neither those on Extraversion nor Neuroticism, were significantly associated with rated religiosity.

The Relationship between Christian Commitment and Motivation to Study Religion at A-level: A Preliminary Investigation

A SAMPLE OF 304 A-level religious studies students completed the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity together with an index of motivations to study religion. The findings suggest that at A-level there is more interest in the religious studies approach than in the approach of theology. However, the students who are considering studying religion at degree level are much more likely to be motivated by faith-based considerations.

The personality profile of artists

A sample of 63 male and 94 female artists completed the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. In comparison with the published nonnative data, both male and female artists recorded higher scores than men and women in general on the personality dimensions of neuroticism and psychoticism. Artistic creativity is associated with higher concentrations of the personality characteristics continuous with neurotic and psychotic disorders.

Personality and Church Attendance Among Artists

A sample of 157 adult artists completed the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire together with information about the frequency of church attendance. The data confirmed that church attendance is significantly associated with psychoticism scores, but independent of both extraversion and neuroticism.

Internal consistency reliability of the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Alcohol among adolescents in Northern Ireland.

The Francis Scale of Attitude toward Alcohol was completed by 324 adolescents (M=17.1 yr., SD = 3.6) in Northern Ireland to examine reliability of the measure among this age group. These data support its internal consistency (.89) and suggest that the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Alcohol is psychometrically appropriate for use among this age group.