Francis Psychological Type Scales Research Articles

Mystical spirituality and the Jungian perceiving process: a study in psychological type theory among adult on-line Christians

ABSTRACT This study tests Ross’ thesis that individual differences in religious experience and religious expression are related to the perceiving process (sensing and intuition), but independent of the judging process (thinking and feeling). There have been several studies which have confirmed Ross’ thesis. This study aims to build on this research, using the Hall Index of Mystical Spirituality in conjunction with the Francis Psychological Type Scales. There were 536 participants (59% female and 41% male) who came from an on-line community of individuals interested in Celtic Christianity. The data showed that there were individual differences in mystical spirituality related to the perceiving process (sensing and intuition) but independent of the judging process (thinking and feeling). Significantly higher scores of mystical spirituality were reported among intuitive types than among sensing types, while differences between thinking types and feeling types were not significant.

Psychological type among Dhammakāya meditators in the West

ABSTRACT The psychological type of 1032 students of Dhammakāya meditation at Buddhist centres in the UK and US was surveyed using the 50-question Francis Psychological Type Scales and compared with their respective normative populations. Meditators' psychological type generally showed significantly higher proportions of INFJ (5-8x higher), INTJ (6-8x higher), IN (2-3½x higher), NJ (3-5x higher), NF (2x higher) and N (2x higher). Although these meditators did not self-identify as Buddhist, they showed psychological type profiles similar to UK and US convert Buddhist attendants of temples and meditation centres. Further analysis of meditators opting specifically for the Dhammakāya method of meditation showed a tendency towards dominant sensing (Dt.S) and the ISFJ type, indicating the predisposition for visualization (that is the hallmark of this method). Based on this evidence, the paper proposes a possible mechanism for individuation through meditation practice that differs between introverts and extraverts.

Psychological type and psychological temperament of non-stipendiary Anglican clergy: appropriate to meet the needs of the twenty-first century?

ABSTRACT Drawing on psychological type theory and temperament theory as operationalised by the Francis Psychological Type Scales, this study compares the profiles of 53 non-stipendiary clergy and 77 stipendiary clergy serving with the same Diocese of the Church of England. The data confirm significant differences between the two groups. The non-stipendiary clergy comprise a significantly higher proportion of sensing types (70% compared with 33%) and a significantly higher proportion of judging types (93% compared with 73%). In terms of temperament theory, these differences translate into a significantly higher proportion of the Guardian Temperament (66% compared with 31%). As the Church of England increasingly relies on self-supporting ministry, the implications of the changing psychological type and temperament of ordained leaders is discussed. Here is a leadership more inclined to conserve the status quo than to pioneer new initiatives and fresh expressions of church within a changing environment.

Testing the factor structure of the Francis Psychological Type Scales (FPTS): a replication among Church of England clergy and laity

ABSTRACT The factor structure of the Francis Psychological Type Scales (FPTS) was examined using structural equation modelling and confirmatory factor analysis on samples of 1522 clergy and 2474 laity from the Church of England. The study built on an earlier analysis that had suggested a four-dimensional structure for the FPTS that corresponded to the four dimensions of the psychological type model. Results confirmed that most items loaded satisfactorily on their intended dimension (orientation, perceiving, judging, or attitude to the outer world). Using maximum likelihood estimation may have overestimated the fit of models compared with using weighed least squares estimation, which was better suited to the binary categorical variables used in the instrument. The analysis identified a few items that may have contributed to the reduced fit of the four-dimensional model.

Identifying learning preferences among Italian undergraduate students studying the sociology of religion: drawing on psychological type preferences

ABSTRACT This study argues that the notion of learning preferences (rooted within a coherent and established theory of personality and individual differences) may be more fruitful than the largely contested notion of learning styles. The case is illustrated by extrapolation from psychological type theory in the light of the profile of 581 students enrolled in undergraduate programmes embracing the sociology of religion at Padua University, Italy, employing the Italian translation of the Francis Psychological Type Scales. Overall the data demonstrated a relatively balanced need for teaching and learning approaches appropriate for introverts and extraverts, for sensing types and intuitive types, and for feeling types and thinking types. At the same time, the group was heavily weighted in terms of judging types over perceiving types, indicating a priority toward structured and disciplined presentation of the curriculum.

Catholic priesthood and psychological temperament: a replication among priests in Italy

ABSTRACT This study draws on psychological temperament theory (a development from psychological type theory) to map the characteristics of 105 Catholic priests serving in Italy, who completed the Francis Psychological Type Scales. The data demonstrated a strong preference for the SJ Epimethean Temperament (70.5%), with low representation for the other three temperaments: SP Dionysian Temperament (10.5%), NT Promethean Temperament (10.5%), and NF Apollonian Temperment (8.6%). In their study of religious leadership, Oswald and Kroeger characterised Epimethean priests as “conserving, serving” pastors.

Applying psychological type and psychological temperament theory to the congregations at cathedral carol services

ABSTRACT Psychological type theory and temperament theory provide lenses through which the distinctive appeal of different forms of Christian worship may be interpreted. Studies of regular Sunday congregations in Anglican churches in England and Wales find strong representation of sensing types and feeling types and of the Epimethean Temperament. In order to explore whether the very distinctive provision of cathedral carol services attracted a different psychological profile among those who attended, 193 individuals attending Christmas carol services at Bangor Cathedral completed the Francis Psychological Type Scales. The data demonstrated that, compared with congregations attending Sunday services at Anglican churches, the carol service attracted significantly higher proportions of intuitive types, of thinking types, and of the Promethean Temperament.

Psychological type and personal wellbeing among Catholic priests in Italy: a study in positive psychology

ABSTRACT This paper explores the connection between psychological type and personal wellbeing among a sample of 95 Catholic priests serving in Italy. Personal wellbeing was assessed by two measures: the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire and the Purpose in Life Scale. Psychological type was assessed by the Francis Psychological Type Scales that draw on the development of Jung’s classic model that distinguishes between two orientations (extraversion and introversion), two perceiving functions (sensing and intuition), two judging functions (thinking and feeling), and two attitudes (judging and perceiving). The data demonstrated that lower levels of personal wellbeing were experienced by introverts than by extraverts.

The construct validity of the Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale in light of psychological type theory: a study among Anglican clergy

ABSTRACTThis study explores the construct validity of the Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale in the light of psychological type theory that hypothesises a bias in item content to favour extraverts over introverts, sensing types over intuitive types, feeling types over thinking types, and perceiving types over judging types. Data provided by 364 Anglican clergy serving in the Church in Wales, who completed the Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale alongside the Francis Psychological Type Scales, confirm higher scores among extraverts (compared with introverts), intuitive types (compared with sensing types), and feeling types (compared with thinking types), but found no significant difference between judging types and perceiving types. These data are interpreted to nuance the kind of emotional intelligence accessed by the Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale and to encourage future scale development that may conceptualise emotional intelligence in ways more independent of psychological type preferences.

Changing patterns in recruitment to stipendiary ministry: A study in psychological profiling

This article tests the hypothesis that the Church of England may be recruiting into stipendiary ministry a different psychological profile of clergy to respond to the changing demands of parochial ministry. Using the Francis Psychological Type Scales, the profiles of 90 male and 35 female curates under the age of 40 ordained into stipendiary ministry in 2009 and 2010 were compared with the profiles of 626 clergymen and 237 clergywomen reported in a study published in 2007. The major difference between the two groups concerns the significantly higher proportions of sensing types and the Epimethean temperament (SJ) among the curates. These shifts in psychological type and temperament promise a Church for the future that is more tightly managed but less inspirational and less responsive to transformative development.

Profiling Methodist leadership

Abstract This paper explores the similarities and dissimilarities between the psychological type and temperament profiles of Methodist local preachers and Methodist circuit ministers in the British Methodist Church. New data provided by 80 male and 62 female local preachers who completed the Francis Psychological Type Scales were compared with the profiles of 693 male and 311 female ministers published in 2010. The most important significant difference between the two groups concerns the higher proportions of the Epimethean Temperament (SJ) among both the male (69% compared with 44%) and female (66% compared with 43%) local preachers. The SJ temperament brings a more conservative and conserving approach to ministry.

Exploring the factor structure of the Francis Psychological Type Scales among a sample of Anglican clergy in England

ABSTRACTThe Francis Psychological Type Scales (FPTS) were designed to provide a fresh conceptualisation and operationalisation of psychological type theory suitable for application within self-report quantitative studies in the individual differences tradition. The present study tests the factor structure of this instrument among a sample of 722 Anglican clergy. The Varimax Rotated Solution with Kaiser Normalisation recovered the hypothesised location of 74 of the 80 items across four factors with factor weightings of or above .38. The FPTS are commended for use.

Openness to mystical experience and psychological type: a study among Italians

ABSTRACTThis study examines Ross’ thesis that intuitive types are more open than sensing types to mystical experience among a sample of 1155 Italians who completed the Francis Psychological Type Scales alongside the Mystical Orientation Scale. The data supported Ross’ thesis. Intuitive types recorded a significantly higher mean score than sensing types on the index of mystical orientation. Ranking the 16 complete types according to their mean mystical orientation scores located INFPs with the highest scores and ISTJs with the lowest scores.

Psychological type and reported religious experience: an empirical enquiry among Anglican clergy and laity

ABSTRACTThis study employs psychological type theory and tests the hypothesis that some psychological types are more likely to experience and to report religious experience than others. A total of 4421 practising Anglican clergy and laity (2586 men and 1835 women) responded to the question, “Have you ever had something you would describe as a ‘religious experience’?” on a four-point scale, and completed the Francis Psychological Type Scales that distinguish between two orientations (introversion and extraversion), two perceiving functions (sensing and intuition), two judging functions (thinking and feeling), and two attitudes toward the outer world (judging and perceiving). The data confirmed that the perceiving process is fundamental to individual differences in openness to religious experiences. Among practising Anglican clergy and laity intuitive types were more likely than sensing types to report religious experiences.

The role of frequent personal religious practice in Buddhist teen religiosity

ABSTRACTA quantitative study explored the relationship for teen Buddhists in Britain between the frequency of personal religious practice (PRP), affective religiosity (as measured by Thanissaro’s 24-item Scale of Attitude to Buddhism), individual differences in attitudes and Psychological Type (as measured by the Francis Psychological Type Scales). Those with frequent PRP (18% practising daily and 54% monthly) were more likely to want their children to grow up Buddhist and felt school was helping them prepare for life. Only daily PRP was associated with Buddhist worldview whereas less frequent PRP was associated with collectivist and traditionalist attitudes. Daily PRP was found to be positively linked with affective religiosity for heritage Buddhists, males, females and 17-to-20-year-olds, but linked with diminished affective religiosity for convert Buddhists. Daily PRP was associated with a Sensing preference in terms of Psychological Type, rather than psychoticism predicted by some previous meditation research.

The Relationship between Work-Related Psychological Health and Psychological Type among Canadian Baptist Clergy: A Research Report

This study examines the relationship between work-related psychological health and psychological type among a group of 589 Canadian Baptist clergy. Work-related psychological health was operationalised by The Francis Burnout Inventory and psychological type was operationalised by the Francis Psychological Type Scales. The findings demonstrated that Canadian Baptist clergy work-related psychological health is positively related to extraversion and negatively related to introversion.

Assessing the Psychological Type Profile of Canadian Baptist Youth: A Study Employing the Francis Psychological Type Scales for Adolescents (FPTSA)

A growing body of international research employing psychological type theory within the context of congregation studies has drawn attention to the way in which churches draw larger numbers of feeling types than thinking types (among both men and women). These studies have focused on adult churchgoers. The present study extends this field of research among 1630 Canadian Baptist youth attending church-based summer youth programmes (aged 12 to 19 years) who completed the Francis Psychological Type Scales for Adolescents. In this new study, 87 % of male youth and 93 % of female youth preferred feeling. The implications of these findings are assessed for the ministry of the Church among thinking types.

Psychological type profile of Canadian Baptist youth leaders: Implications for Christian education

A recent study of the psychological type profile of Christian youth workers in the UK drew attention to differences between the profiles of youth workers and clergy, and highlighted distinctive strengths and weaknesses that may be experienced by youth workers in Christian ministry. The present study, employing the Francis Psychological Type Scales among Canadian Baptist youth leaders (150 men, 186 women), cautions against generalizing on the basis of findings from the UK study. Among the Canadian Baptist youth leaders, compared with the UK Christian youth workers, there were higher proportions of introverts, sensing types, thinking types and judging types.

Psychological Type of Person-Centered Counselors.

There are various models and approaches to counseling and psychotherapy. Important characteristics of therapists include psychological type. This study aimed to investigate the psychological type profile of person-centered counselors. The psychological type of 85 counselors (63 women, 22 men) was measured with the Francis Psychological Type Scales (FPTS). Results indicate that the FPTS can reliably measure psychological type among counselors, and the most common psychological type was introvert, intuitive, feeling, and judging (INFJ). The relation of these psychological types with a person-centered approach is further discussed.

Comparing the Psychological Type Profile of Churchgoers and Non-Churchgoers in Italy

A series of recent studies in the U.K. and in Australia has drawn attention to the distinctive psychological type profile of churchgoers compared with non-churchgoers or with the general population. This study extends that research to Italy. A sample of 1,155 Italians between the ages of 14 and 80 completed the Italian form of the Francis Psychological Type Scales (translated and tested within the Salesian Pontifical University) together with a measure of their frequency of church attendance. The data demonstrated that intuitive types and thinking types were under-represented in church congregations in Italy. This pattern is broadly consistent with findings from the U.K. and Australia.