Young Adult Religiosity: Evaluating the Influence of Individual Differences Upon Religious Expression and Religious Maturity

Abstract

Research has suggested that individual differences may influence one's preference for a specific mode of religious expression. A large proportion of research conducted within this domain has focused on personality as a significant indicator of individual differences. The majority of researchers have incorporated the Eysenck or Myers-Briggs models of personality. The present study evaluated the influence of the 'five factor' model of personality and emotional intelligence upon religious expression and religious maturity. A sample of 171 undergraduate students completed a questionnaire comprised of the following four instruments: the NEO-FFI personality test (Costa & McCrae, 1992), the 33-item self report Emotional Intelligence Scale (EIS) (Schuttle et al., 1998), the Religious Expression Scale (Boan, 1978), and the Quest Scale (Batson & Schoenrade, 1991). A significant association was found between both personality and religious expression and emotional intelligence and religious expression. A significant relationship was also found between the personality dimension of openness and religious maturity as measured by Quest. Furthermore, a multiple regression analysis indicated that out of personality, emotional intelligence and religious expression, the social/emotional component of religious expression predicted high scores on religious maturity. Generally the results are consistent with previous research suggesting that individual differences influence the experience and self report of religious expression and religious maturity. Based on these findings, implications and suggestions for educational practice are provided.