Mystical orientation and psychological health: A study employing Eysenck s dimensional model of personality among clergymen in the Church in Wales

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1 The Welsh Journal of Psychology 2012 Vol. 1 No. 1 pp Copyright 2012 by Glyndŵr University ISSN Mystical orientation and psychological health: A study employing Eysenck s dimensional model of personality among clergymen in the Church in Wales Leslie J. Francis 1* and Keith Littler 2 1 Warwick Religions & Education Research Unit, Institute of Education, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, England, UK. 2 The Saint Mary s Centre, Llys Onnen, Abergwyngregyn, Gwynedd, LL33 0LD, Wales, UK. Abstract This study examines the link between mystical orientation and psychological health within the theoretical context proposed by the Eysenckian dimensional model of personality. Data were provided by 232 Anglican clergymen serving in the Church in Wales who completed both the Francis-Louden Mystical Orientation Scale and the short-form Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised. The data found no significant correlation between levels of mystical orientation and either lower or higher scores on the Eysenckian Neuroticism Scale or the Eysenckian Psychoticism Scale. According to this model, mystical orientation is associated with neither better nor worse psychological health. Keywords: Mysticism, neuroticism, psychoticism, Eysenck, psychology, religion. Crynodeb Mae r astudiaeth hon yn edrych ar y cysylltiad rhwng tueddfryd cyfriniol ac iechyd seicolegol o fewn y cyd-destun damcaniaethol a gynigir gan fodel dimensiynol personoliaeth Eysenck. Darparwyd data gan 232 o glerigwyr Anglicanaidd sy n gwasanaethu o fewn yr Eglwys yng Nghymru ac a gwblhawyd Graddfa Tueddfryd Cyfriniol Francis-Louden a r fersiwn byr o Holiadur Personoliaeth Eysenck Diwygiedig. Ni ddangosodd y data unrhyw gydberthyniad arwyddocaol rhwng lefelau o dueddfryd cyfriniol a naill ai sgorau is neu sgorau uwch ar Raddfa Niwrotiaeth Eysenck neu Raddfa Seicotiaeth Eysenck. Yn ôl y model hwn, cysylltir tueddfryd cyfriniol ag iechyd seicolegol nad yw n well na n waeth. Geiriau allweddol: Cyfriniaeth, niwrotiaeth, seicotiaeth, Eysenck, seicoleg, crefydd *Address correspondence to: leslie.francis@warwick.ac.uk

2 5 Francis & Littler Introduction Since the pioneering work of William James, mysticism has been a topic of theoretical interest and empirical concern within the psychology of religion (see James, 1982). Attempts to identify the component parts of mysticism and to offer coherent definitions have been made by Stace (1960) and Happold (1963). Psychometric instruments concerned to assess different aspects of mysticism include the classic Hood Mysticism Scale (Hood, 1975), the Mystical Experience Scale developed by Thalbourne (1991), the Mystical Orientation Scale developed by Francis and Louden (2000), the Short Index of Mystical Orientation developed by Francis and Louden (2004), and the most recent Attitudes to Mysticism Scale developed by Edwards and Lowis (2008a). Throughout the debate on the nature of mysticism, the question arises regarding the extent to which mystical experience is associated with psychopathology, or indeed the opposite, with enhanced psychological health. One convenient way in which the problem can be explored empirically is in connection with the Eysenckian dimensional model of personality. Over five decades and through a developing series of personality measures, including the Maudsley Personality Inventory (Eysenck, 1959), the Eysenck Personality Inventory (Eysenck & Eysenck, 1964), the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (Eysenck & Eysenck, 1975), the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised (Eysenck, Eysenck, & Barrett, 1985), and the Eysenck Personality Scales (Eysenck & Eysenck, 1991), Eysenck maintained the continuity between normal personality and abnormal personality and defined two of his three orthogonal dimensions of normal personality by nomenclature borrowed from abnormal psychology. The first of the two dimensions defined by poor psychological health is accessed by the Neuroticism Scale. This continuum moves from emotional stability, through emotional lability, to neurotic disorder. In the test manual, Eysenck and Eysenck (1975) characterise the high scorers on the Neuroticism Scale as anxious, worrying individuals who are moody and frequently depressed, likely to sleep badly and to suffer from psychosomatic disorders. The low scorers on the Neuroticism Scale are characterised by an absence of these traits. The second of the two dimensions defined by poor psychological health is accessed by the Psychoticism Scale. This continuum moves from tendermindedness, through toughmindedness, to psychotic disorder. In their foundation text on psychoticism, Eysenck and Eysenck (1976) characterise the high scorers on the Psychoticism Scale as not caring for people, lacking in feeling and empathy and altogether insensitive. The low scorers on the Psychoticism Scale are characterised as empathetic, unselfish, altruistic, warm, peaceful and generally pleasant, although possibly socially indecisive individuals. The third dimension of Eysenck s dimensional model of personality is unrelated to perceptions of psychological health and is defined by the Extraversion Scale. This continuum moves from introversion, through ambiversion, to extraversion. In the test manual, Eysenck and Eysenck (1975) characterise the high scorers on the Extraversion Scale as sociable individuals who like parties, have many friends, need to have people to talk to and prefer meeting people to reading or studying alone. Typical extraverts crave excitement, take chances, act on the spur of the moment, are carefree, easygoing and optimistic. The low scorers on the Extraversion Scale are characterised by the opposite set of traits.

3 Mystical orientation and psychological health 6 The first challenge to employ Eysenck s dimensional model of personality to address the question regarding the potential link between mysticism and psychopathology was issued by Caird (1987) in a paper entitled, Are mystics introverted, neurotic, or psychotic. Caird set the problem for his empirical investigation by drawing attention to two conflicting views. On the one hand, Caird cited the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry (1976) as regarding mystical experiences as essentially introvert, with neurotic and psychotic sufferers especially tempted to seek relief in this way. On the other hand, Caird (1987) cited Maslow (1964) as identifying mystical experiences with peak experiences, more characteristic of health than of neuroses or psychoses. Caird (1987) operationalised his research question by inviting a sample of 115 first-year religious studies students at the University of Queensland to complete the Hood Mysticism Scale (Hood, 1975), together with the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (Eysenck & Eysenck, 1975). The data offered support for neither view. Caird s (1987) study was partly replicated by Spanos and Moretti (1988) who administered the Hood Mysticism Scale (Hood, 1975) alongside the Neuroticism Scale of the Eysenck Personality Inventory (Eysenck & Eysenck, 1964) to a sample of 124 female university students. No significant correlation was found between neuroticism and mysticism in either a positive or negative direction. Francis and Thomas (1996) extended this research tradition among a sample of 222 Anglican clergymen who completed the Short Index of Mystical Orientation (subsequently refined by Francis & Louden, 2004) together with the short-form Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised (Eysenck et al., 1985). This study, too, found no significant correlation (positive or negative) between mystical orientation and either neuroticism or psychoticism. Francis and Louden (2000) developed and tested the Mystical Orientation Scale among a sample of 1,468 Roman Catholic priests who also completed the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (Eysenck & Eysenck, 1975). Again, this study found no significant correlation (positive or negative) between mystical orientation and either neuroticism or psychoticism. Edwards and Lowis (2008b) also employed Francis and Louden s (2004) Mystical Orientation Scale alongside the Psychoticism Scale of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised (Eysenck et al., 1985) and the Neuroticism Scale of the NEO-PI Forms (Costa & McCrae, 1992). Their sample of 214 participants included Christian Protestants, Jews, Buddhists, and Pagans. Again, this study found no significant correlation (positive or negative) between mystical orientation and either neuroticism or psychoticism. A series of five studies, employing a range of instruments embracing quite different samples and finding the same result, begins to develop the basis for secure scientific knowledge. Repeated replication, however, is still required, with the opportunity to provide further confirmation of the growing consensus or to challenge that consensus with aberrant findings. In this spirit the present study offers a further replication, employing the Mystical Orientation Scale and the short-form Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised.

4 7 Francis & Littler Method Sample In order to ensure comparability with the two earlier studies reported among clergy by Francis and Thomas (1996) and Francis and Louden (2000), the present analysis is based on the 232 male respondents who provided full data on the relevant scales used in the study. The sample comprised 22 clergy under the age of forty, 43 in their forties, 109 in their fifties, 56 in their sixties, and 2 in their seventies. Measures Mystical orientation was assessed by the Francis-Louden Mystical Orientation Scale (Francis & Louden, 2000). This is a 21-item measure containing three items to access each of the seven key characteristics of mysticism identified by Happold (1963): ineffability, noesis, transiency, passivity, consciousness of the oneness of everything, sense of timelessness, and true ego. Respondents were asked to assess how important each experience is to your own faith, using a five-point scale anchored by: 1 = low importance, 3 = medium importance, 5 = high importance. Personality was assessed by the short-form Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised (Eysenck et al., 1985). This is a 48-item measure containing four scales of 12 items each (extraversion, neuroticism, psychoticism, and the Lie Scale). Respondents were asked to assess the relevance of each item on a two-part scale: yes and no. Table 1 Scale Properties alpha mean sd Mystical orientation Extraversion Neuroticism Psychoticism Lie Scale Table 2 Correlation Matrix: Mystical Orientation and Personality Ext Neu Psy Lie Mystical orientation Lie Scale Psychoticism Neuroticism -0.19** Note: * = p <.05, ** = p <.01, *** = p <.001.

5 Mystical orientation and psychological health 8 Procedure A questionnaire was mailed to all full-time stipendiary parochial clergy serving in the Church in Wales. A total of 593 questionnaires were successfully delivered, and 391 were returned, generating a response rate of 66%. Analysis The data were analysed by the SPSS statistical package using the frequency, reliability and correlation routines. Results Table 1 presents the scale properties for the five measures employed in the study in terms of means, standard deviations and alpha coefficients (Cronbach, 1951). The measures of mystical orientation, extraversion and neuroticism all show high levels of internal consistency reliability, and the Lie Scale exceeds the threshold of acceptability of.65 proposed by DeVellis (2003). The poorer performance of the Psychoticism Scale is consistent with the known properties of this measure (Francis, Brown, & Philipchalk, 1992). Table 2 presents the Pearson correlation coefficients between mystical orientation, extraversion, neuroticism, psychoticism, and the Lie Scale. These data demonstrate that there are no statistically significant associations between mystical orientation and any of the Eysenck personality measures. Discussion The present study set out to add to the body of empirically-based knowledge concerning the association between mysticism and psychological health. Specifically the study stands within the research tradition that has focused on the notion of mystical orientation (as operationalised by the Mystical Orientation Scale and the Short Index of Mystical Orientation) and on the model of psychological health (as operationalised by the Eysenckian Neuroticism Scale and Psychoticism Scale). New data provided by 232 Anglican clergymen serving in the Church in Wales found no evidence to associate higher levels of mystical orientation and either higher or lower scores on the Eysenckian Neuroticism Scale or the Eysenckian Psychoticism Scale. The findings from this study are consistent with the evidence provided in earlier studies by Caird (1987), Spanos and Moretti (1988), Francis and Thomas (1996), Francis and Louden (2000), and Edwards and Lowis (2008b). According to the Eysenckian model, mystical orientation is associated with neither better nor worse psychological health. Collectively these six studies have clarified the research problem identified and articulated by Caird (1987). At least in terms of the Eysenckian understanding of the notions of neuroticism and psychoticism, there is no empirical support for associating mystical orientation with poor psychological health. A weakness with the present study concerns the relatively poor performance of the 12-item Psychoticism Scale. Future research in this field might be advised to employ the longer and more reliable measure of psychoticism available within the 100-item form of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised (Eysenck et al., 1985). If the psychology of religion is concerned to develop a robust set of stable conclusions, further replication studies of this nature should be welcomed.

6 9 Francis & Littler References Caird, D. (1987). Religiosity and personality: Are mystics introverted, neurotic, or psychotic? British Journal of Social Psychology, 26, Costa, P. T., & McCrae, R. R. (1992). Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI-R and NEO Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI): Professional Manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources Inc. Cronbach, L. J. (1951). Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika, 16, DeVellis, R. F. (2003). Scale development: Theory and applications. London, UK: Sage. Edwards, A. C., & Lowis, M. J. (2008a). Construction and validation of a scale to assess attitudes to mysticism: The need for a new scale for research in the psychology of religion. Spirituality and Health International, 9, Edwards, A. C., & Lowis, M. J. (2008b). Attitudes to mysticism: Relationship with personality in Western and Eastern mystical traditions. Spirituality and Health International, 9, Eysenck, H. J. (1959). Manual of the Maudsley Personality Inventory. London, UK: University of London Press. Eysenck, H. J., & Eysenck, S. B. G. (1964). Manual of the Eysenck Personality Inventory. London, UK: University of London Press. Eysenck, H. J., & Eysenck, S. B. G. (1975). Manual of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (adult and junior). London, UK: Hodder and Stoughton. Eysenck, H. J., & Eysenck, S. B. G. (1976). Psychoticism as a dimension of personality. London, UK: Hodder and Stoughton. Eysenck, H. J., & Eysenck, S. B. G. (1991). Manual of the Eysenck Personality Scales. London, UK: Hodder and Stoughton. Eysenck, S. B. G., Eysenck, H. J., & Barrett, P. (1985). A revised version of the Psychoticism Scale. Personality and Individual Differences, 6, Francis, L. J., Brown, L. B., & Philipchalk, R. (1992). The development of an abbreviated form of the Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQR-A): Its use among students in England, Canada, the USA and Australia. Personality and Individual Differences, 13, Francis, L. J., & Louden, S. H. (2000). The Francis-Louden Mystical Orientation Scale (MOS): A study among Roman Catholic priests. Research in the Social Scientifi c Study of Religion, 11, Francis, L. J., & Louden, S. H. (2004). A Short Index of Mystical Orientation (SIMO): A study among Roman Catholic priests. Pastoral Psychology, 53, Francis, L. J., & Thomas, T. H. (1996). Mystical orientation and personality among Anglican clergy. Pastoral Psychology, 45, Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry. (1976). Mysticism: Spiritual quest or psychological disorder? New York, NY: GAP.

7 Mystical orientation and psychological health 10 Happold, F. C. (1963). Mysticism: A study and an anthology. Harmondsworth, UK: Penguin. Hood, R. W. (1975). The construction and preliminary validation of a measure of reported mystical experience. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 14, James, W. (1982). The varieties of religious experience. Harmondsworth, UK: Penguin. Maslow, A. H. (1964). Religions, values, and peak-experiences. Columbus, OH: Ohio State University Press. Spanos, N. P., & Moretti, P. (1988). Correlates of mystical and diabolical experiences in a sample of female university students. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 27, Stace, W. T. (1960). Mysticism and philosophy. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott. Thalbourne, M. A. (1991). The psychology of mystical experience. Exceptional Human Experience, 9,

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