Out-of-Body Experience Status as a Moderator of Effects of Narcissism on Paranormal Beliefs
Jerome J. Tobacyk, Thomas E. Mitchell
Psychological Reports April 1, 1987 DOI: 10.2466/pr0.1987.60.2.440 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 383 |
| Population | College students |
| Key findings | Narcissism showed moderate correlations with belief in Psi, Precognition, Witchcraft, and Superstition among those who reported out-of-body experiences, but only a small link with Precognition among nonreporters. |
Abstract
The Narcissistic Personality Inventory and the Paranormal Belief Scale were given to 383 college students. As hypothesized, significant but small direct correlations were obtained between narcissism and belief in Psi and in Precognition. When the sample was divided into those 56 who reported out-of-body experiences and 327 nonreporters, an interaction emerged. Among the former, narcissism showed significant moderate correlations with belief in Psi, Precognition, Witchcraft, and Superstition. Among the latter only one small significant relationship was found between narcissism and Precognition. These differential relationships between narcissism and paranormal beliefs for reporters and nonreporters of out-of-body experiences were interpreted in terms of schemata theory.