Spirit possession and neuroticism in West Indian Pentecostal community.
British Journal of Clinical Psychology November 1, 1981 DOI: 10.1111/j.2044-8260.1981.tb00530.x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 20 |
| Population | Regular members of a West Indian Pentecostal congregation |
| Citations | 16 |
| Key findings | Spirit-possessed subjects scored significantly higher in neuroticism and hysteria than non-possessed controls. |
Abstract
The experiment is focused on the relationship between spirit possession and neuroticism as assessed by psychometric techniques. Twenty subjects who were regular members of a West Indian Pentecostal congregation were interviewed and tested with the EPI and the hysteria scale of the MMPI. Analysis of data indicated that the 10 subjects who were defined as spirit possessed scored significantly high in both neuroticism (P less than 0.05) and hysteria (P less than 0.005) than did the control group. In light of these data and others it was suggested that possession constitutes a culture-bound neurotic disorder.
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Thaipusam in Malaysia:A Psycho‐Anthropological Analysis of Ritual Trance, Ceremonial Possession and Self‐Mortification Practices Ethos December 1, 1984
- Traumatic Experience and Somatoform Dissociation Among Spirit Possession Practitioners in the Dominican Republic. Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry March 1, 2016
- Possession as a clinical phenomenon: a critique of the medical model Scripta Instituti Donneriani Aboensis January 16, 2019