Personality and Religious Beliefs: A Test of Flugel's Superego Projection Theory

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine Flugel's (1945) Superego Projection Theory, in relation to Christian beliefs. A total of 124 subjects, preselected to include subjects with strong Christian beliefs as well as nonbelievers, completed a set of four questionnaires designed to measure their religiosity, superego and ego strength, locus of control, and self-esteem. A significant positive relation was found between degree of religiosity, externality of locus of control, and superego strength; a pattern of results predicted by Flugel's Theory. However, contrary to our predictions, no significant relation was found between degree of religiosity and self-esteem. Some problems in conducting psychometric personality research with highly religious subjects are discussed, along with possible explanations for some of the unexpected findings.

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