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Personality Change and Religious Conversion. PDF

112 Pages·2009·4.12 MB·English
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PERSONALITY CHANGE RESULTING FROM A RELIGIOUS CONVERSION EXPERIENCE by MICHAEL W. JOHNSEN, B.S. A DISSERTATION IN PSYCHOLOGY Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Texas Tech University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY December, 1986 fJ(^' ?/\^ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to recognize a number of individuals who have contributed to the completion of this project, from its inception to the production of this document. Dr. Kenneth Conrow and his staff at the Kansas State University Computing Center deserve thanks for graciously allowing me free access to their computer system. I am indebted to the Psychology Service at the Colmery-O'Neil VA Medical Center for their materiel support and encouragement during the final assembly phase of this document. I want to thank my committee members, Drs. Stephen Farr, Clay George, Roger Greene, Bonnie Spring, and former member, John Harvey, for their dedication and effort in critiquing the document. I am particularly indebted to my chair, Dr. Clyde Hendrick for his continual guidance, critical questioning, and encouragement as well as his patience in reading through the many rough drafts. Without his dedicated effort this project would be but an idea whose time had not yet come. I want to say a special thank-you to my family who have been steadfast in their support, encouragement, and prayers throughout this long journey. Finally, a grateful thanks to my God, to whom this work and my life are dedicated. 11 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS i ABSTRACT v LIST OF TABLES vi LIST OF FIGURES vi I. INTRODUCTION 1 I. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE 3 Theoretical Studies 3 Religious Conversion 6 Empirical Studies 13 Early Work 13 Religiosity and its Corelates 16 Conversion Studies: Antecedents 23 Conversion Studies: Consequences 26 Catholic Charismatics 3 Hypotheses • 35 Hypothesis 1 35 Hypothesis 2 35 Hypothesis 3 ., 36 I. METHOD 38 Subjects 38 Dependent Measures ^0 Religious Orientation Scale 40 State-Trait Anxiety Inventory 41 iii Personal Orientation Inventory 42 Religious Belief Survey 4 Procedure 45 IV. RESULTS 47 Hypothesis 1 47 Hypothesis 2 49 Hypothesis 3 51 V. DISCUSION 71 Validity Threats 71 Interpretations 74 Limitations and Posibilities 82 LIST OF REFERENCES 84 APPENDICES A. Data Concerning Religious Belief Survey 93 B. Examples of Inventories 95 IV ABSTRACT Throughout time humanity has been both intrigued and frightened by the possibility of change. Nowhere has this ambivalence been more prevalent and personally relevant than in the arena of religion. From St. Paul's dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus to contemporary revival meetings and religious cults, people have sought in religion a means of effecting life-altering change. This study was undertaken to investigate the extent of personality change subsequent to a gradual religious conversion experience. The dimensions of personality selected for study included level of state and trait anxiety, degree of intrinsic and extrinsic religious orientation, extent of self-actualization, and degree of affirmation of fundamental Catholic charismatic beliefs. These personality dimensions were evaluated via a quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design in which a group of Catholic charismatics was assessed both prior to and following the conversion experience. Their performance was then compared with a demographically similar control group of active Catholics who had never experienced a religious conversion. The results suggested a significant decrease in trait anxiety in conjunction with significant increases in degree of intrinsic religious orientation and affirmation of charismatic beliefs. No change was observed in degree of self-actualization, extrinsic religious orientation, or level of state anxiety. The study concludes by speculating about a possible personality profile for Catholic charismatics as well as suggesting recommendations for future research. VI LIST OF TABLES 1. Demographic Characteristics 47 2. ANOVA Results of Trait Anxiety 5 3. ANOVA Results of State Anxiety 57 4. ANOVA Results of Extrinsic Religious Orientation 59 5. ANOVA Results of Intrinsic Religious Orientations 61 6. ANOVA Results of POI Scale #1: Self-Actualizing Value ... 63 7. ANOVA Results of POI Scale #2: Existentiality 63 8. ANOVA Results of POI Scale #3: Feling Reactivity 6 9. ANOVA Results of POI Scale #9: Acceptance of Aggression . 66 10. ANOVA Results of Religious Belief Survey 69 Vll LIST OF FIGURES 1. Pre-Testing/Post-Testing Comparison of Trait Anxiety .... 56 2. Pre-Testing/Post-Testing Comparisons of State Anxiety ... 58 3. Pre-Testing/Post-Testing Comparisons of Extrinsic Religious Orientation 60 4. Pre-Testing/Post-Testing Comparisons of Intrinsic Religious Orientation • 62 5. Pre-Testing/Post-Testing Comparisons of POI Scale #4: Self-Actualizing Value 64 6. Pre-Testing/Post-Testing Comparisons of POI Scale #2: Existentiality 65 7. Pre-Testing/Post-Testing Comparisons of POI Scale #3: Feling Reactivity 67 8. Pre-Testing/Post-Testing Comparisons of POI Scale #9: Aceptance of Agresion 68 9. Pre-Testing/Post-Testing Comparisons of Religious Belief Survey 70 Vlll CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION This means that if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. The old order has passed away, now all is new!" (New American Bible, 1971, 2 Corinthinians 5:17). Throughout history people have been both intrigued and frightened by the possibility of change, of "rebirth." These deep fears and longings have been reflected in mythologies, ritual practices and legends. For example, the transcultural myth of the death and resurrection of the god-hero, the quest of the ancient alchemists to unlock the secrets of converting base metals into precious gold or perhaps the more contemporary instance of popular belief in the power of hypnosis to "magically" effect substantive life altering change, all reflect a powerful fascination with the concept of conversion. Nowhere has the phenomenon of conversion been the subject of more attention and controversy than in the arena of religion. From the time of St. Paul's dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus to the current cult movements, religious leaders, theologians, and laymen alike have debated, theorized, and proffered explanations as to the true nature of the religious conversion experience. These theories, often promulgated as though they were divinely inspired facts, have spanned the continuum from the sacred to the profane, from the notion that the experience is 1 divinely ordained and orchestrated to the secular view that conversion is simply an instance of mass hysteria or brainwashing. There are seemingly as many theories or explanations as there are individuals willing to reflect upon the experience. In an effort to better understand this very powerful, complex phenomenon psychology, with its tools of disciplined, empirical observation, has entered the arena. Researchers and clinicians have generated a wealth of data and a variety of theories. Although no single theory can provide a "conclusive" answer, theories are nonetheless helpful in that, "...they allow us to order our accumulated knowledge within a framework and may provide explanations for some individuals under some conditions" (Farr, 1984, p. 2). Thus, both the theoretical and the empirical approaches are indispensable to ultimately unraveling the mysteries of the "new creation." This study will report on the findings of an empirical investigation assessing the impact of a religious conversion experience upon various aspects of personality functioning. Following this a tentative theoretical model of the conversion process will be developed.

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