Factor Analysis of the Mystical Scale in Yi Ethnic Group: Indigenous Psychologies and Universalism
Zhengjia Ren
November 24, 2020 DOI: 10.1163/9789004443969_006 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 428 |
| Population | Yi people, some practicing Bimoism and some without a Bimoism background |
| Topics | Mysticism |
| Keywords | Universalism Spirituality Phenomenology philosophy Indigenous Epistemology Theology |
| Key findings | Mystical experiences among Yi participants fit Stace’s three-factor structure, with transcendence being more extrovertive for Bimoist Yi and more introvertive for non-Bimoist Yi. |
Abstract
This study explores the factor structure of mystical experience among 428 subjects comprised of Yi who practice Bimoism and Yi without a background in Bimoism. Explorative factor analyses results identified common facets across groups, and these facets could be formed into Stace’s three-factor structure in both groups. Comparing factor structure and ordering, the experience of transcendence for Yi who practice Bimoism is more extrovertive than for Yi who don’t practice Bimoism, whose experience is more introvertive. These results lend strong support to the thesis that the phenomenology of mystical experience reveals a common experiential core that can be discerned across religious and spiritual traditions. These data not only demonstrate that mystical experience is universal but also that sociocultural and religious tradition influence how people organize those universal experiences. Our current study also supports the commonality of Mysticism at facet level, and unique factor structure in different groups supports the claim that different groups have different ways of organizing mystical experiences in line with their own indigenous psychologies.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on mysticism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Of Roots and Fruits: A Comparison of Psychedelic and Nonpsychedelic Mystical Experiences Self-selected participants who reported a religious, spiritual, or mystical experience | 2016 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 739 |
| Values and Beliefs of Psychedelic Drug Users: A Cross-Cultural Study Users of psychedelic drugs, users of nonpsychedelic illegal drugs, and... | 2006 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 183 |
| Illicit Use of LSD or Psilocybin, but not MDMA or Nonpsychedelic Drugs, is Associated with Mystical Experiences in a Dose-Dependent Manner Adults recruited from the MAPS website and newsletter, most reporting use of various... | 2012 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 337 |
| Comparison of psychedelic and near-death or other non-ordinary experiences in changing attitudes about death and dying Individuals who reported an experience that altered their beliefs about death,... | 2022 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 3,192 |
| Mystical experiences associated with seizures Patients with epilepsy | 2014 | Cross-sectional study | n = 98 |