From Transcendence to Virtue: Development of a Multidimensional Spiritual Intelligence Scale
Parth Joshi, Shilpa Salve
International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research October 19, 2026 DOI: 10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i05.88824 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Scale development and preliminary validation study (cross-sectional survey) Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 105 |
| Population | Adults aged 18–50 years recruited via an online survey |
| Measures | Spiritual Intelligence Scale (SIS), Cronbach's alpha, resilience measure, Openness to Experience measure, established SI inventory |
| Key findings | The 39-item Spiritual Intelligence Scale, grounded in Emmons' five-component model, showed high internal consistency (Cronbach's α = .913) and significant positive correlations with resilience (r = .294) and an established SI inventory (r = .430), with a small, nonsignificant correlation with Openness to Experience (r = .082). The authors conclude this provides preliminary evidence that the model can be operationalized as a measure, while noting the absence of factor analysis and the modest sample size. |
Abstract
Spiritual intelligence (SI) has been operationalised in several competing theoretical models, but no published instrument directly measures Robert Emmons' (2000) original five-component conceptualisation of transcendence, heightened states of consciousness, sanctification, spiritual problem-solving, and virtuous behaviour. The present study addressed this gap by developing and preliminarily validating a Spiritual Intelligence Scale (SIS) explicitly grounded in Emmons' framework. An initial pool of 44 items was generated to represent the five theoretical dimensions and refined to 39 items following qualitative peer review. The scale was administered, together with measures of resilience, Openness to Experience, and an established SI inventory, to 105 adult participants (18–50 years) via an online survey. The 39-item scale demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach's α = .913, 95% CI [.891, .934]). Preliminary construct validity was supported by a significant positive correlation with resilience (r = .294, 95% CI [.108, .460]), a small, nonsignificant correlation with Openness to Experience (r = .082, 95% CI [–.111, .269]), and a significant positive correlation with an established SI inventory (r = .430, 95% CI [.260, .574]). These findings provide preliminary evidence that Emmons' five-component model can be operationalized as an internally consistent and construct-valid psychological measure. Limitations — including the absence of a factor-analytic evaluation of the proposed structure, the modest sample size relative to the item pool, and reliance on a single cross-sectional sample — are discussed, and the scale is presented as a preliminary instrument requiring further psychometric evaluation, including exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis in larger, independent samples.