Abstract
Using an assessment battery of psychological tests and clinical interview, 139 aspirants to the Permanent Diaconate in the Roman Catholic Church were evaluated as part of a screening process to determine who would be selected for a training program leading to ordination. This retrospective study was conducted to develop a systematic psychological description of those candidates deemed acceptable for training. Review of archival records identified differences between those aspirants accepted for training versus those not accepted on 13 key dimensions: MMPI-2 Factor 1—Anxious Distress; MMPI-2 Factor 2—Addiction/Acting Out; three scales of the Millon Index of Personality Styles (MIPS), Pain-Avoiding, Self-Indulging and Clinical Adjustment Index; marital satisfaction; education level; occupational stability; occupational satisfaction; service motivation; handling a hypothetical parish dilemma; DSM-IV-TR Axis I diagnosis and Axis II disorder/traits. Implications of how such a descriptive profile could be applied in future screening and selection of clergy candidates are discussed.
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