Mystical orientation, mystical experience, and mysticism : psychological perspectives
Warwick Research Archive Portal November 1, 2013 DOI: 10.6720/scr.201311_(2).0003 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Survey-based scale construction and individual-differences analysis, with literature review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Respondents to the Religious Experience in Contemporary Taiwan survey |
| Measures | Hood Mysticism Scale, Francis-Louden Mystical Orientation Scale, Index of Mystical Experience in Taiwan (IMET) |
| Topics | Mystical experience Mysticism |
| Key findings | The paper reviews psychological research on mysticism, highlighting Stace's conceptualization operationalized by the Hood Mysticism Scale and Happold's conceptualization operationalized by the Francis-Louden Mystical Orientation Scale. It then constructs the Index of Mystical Experience in Taiwan (IMET) from Religious Experience in Contemporary Taiwan survey data and uses it to examine connections between mystical experience and sex, age, education, religious identity, and religious belief. No specific results are reported in the abstract. |
Abstract
Since the pioneering work of William James at the dawn of the twentieth century, psychologists have been interested in the study of mysticism, with the consequence that mysticism is now the aspect of religious experience most adequately and most comprehensively discussed within the psychology of religion. The aims of this paper are threefold. First, attention is given to the detailed international research literature on the psychology of the three constructs identified as mystical orientation, mystical experience, and mysticism. Emphasis is placed 1) on the conceptualisation of Stace and the operationalisation afforded by the Hood Mysticism Scale, and 2) on the conceptualisation of Happold and the operationalisation afforded by the Francis-Louden Mystical Orientation Scale. Second, the new data concerning mysticism from the Religious Experience in Contemporary Taiwan survey are employed to construct the Index of Mystical Experience in Taiwan (IMET). Third, this new instrument is employed to examine the connections between mystical experience and individual differences of sex, age, education, religious identity and religious belief.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on mystical experience, 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 |
| 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 |
| Peak Experiences: Some Empirical Tests Random sample of adults in the San Francisco Bay Area | 1978 | Cross-sectional survey | |
| Peak Experience Tendencies | 1982 | Cross-sectional survey | |
| Rhythmic Chanting and Mystical States across Traditions. Regular chanters across 33 countries | 2021 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 464 |