Psychological Temperament, Spirituality, and Augustinian Prayer: An Empirical Enquiry

Francis, L.J., Cook, C.C.H and McKenna, U. (2025) Psychological Temperament, Spirituality, and Augustinian Prayer: An Empirical Enquiry. Journal of spiritual formation and soul care.

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Abstract

Drawing on data provided by 207 Anglican and Methodist ministry training candidates, who completed the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and an 80-item battery of type-related prayer preference items, this study tested the thesis advanced by Michael and Norrisey that the Apollonian (NF) Temperament is associated with Augustinian prayer and spirituality. From the battery of eighty items, the analysis identified eleven items rated more highly by NF participants. These items produced a scale with a satisfactory alpha of .81 (offering internal consistency reliability). Consideration of these items alongside the secondary literature on Augustinian spirituality, and Augustine’s own account in his Confessions, showed that they mapped broadly onto the characteristics of Augustinian prayer and spirituality (offering content validity). These data support the hypothesized link between the Apollonian (NF) Temperament and Augustinian prayer and spirituality.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Published by Sage in 2025. This is an author accepted manuscript of a published open access article available at https://doi.org/10.1177/19397909241309304. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy.
Keywords:	psychological type prayer spirituality temperament psychometrics clergy
Depositing User:	Ursula Mckenna
Date Deposited:	27 Feb 2025 11:55
Last Modified:	27 Feb 2025 11:55
URI:	https://bgro.repository.guildhe.ac.uk/id/eprint/1201

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