Date of Award

1986

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Program

Religious Education, PhD

First Advisor

Roy C. Naden

Second Advisor

Jerome D. Thayer

Third Advisor

Garth D. Thompson

Abstract

Problem

No known study had examined the correlation between the Jungian psychological types and spiritual gifts. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible correlation between the Jungian psychological types and a selection of 19 spiritual gifts of the New Testament.

Method

This study employed two instruments to measure the psychological types and 19 spiritual gifts: The Myers-Briggs type Indicator and The Spiritual Gifts Inventory. The data which were computed and analyzed to test 38 null hypotheses were provided by a total of 430 undergraduate, graduate, and seminary students from Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan, and church members from the Beaverton Seventh-day Adventist Church, Oregon.

Findings

1. The older the person, the more likely he will manifest the gifts of evangelism, faith, giving, hospitality, intercession, knowledge, prophecy and teaching.

2. The extraverted-sensing-feeling-judgment (ESFJ) type is more common among those with the gifts of prophecy, pastoring, hospitality, and exhortation.

3. Specifically for males: a. The extraverted-intuitive (EN) type is more common among those with gifts of hospitality, administration, mercy, and apostleship. b. The extraverted-intuitive-thinking-judgment (ENTJ) type is more common among those having gifts of administration, apostleship, and teaching. c. The extraverted-thinking (ET) type is more common among those having the gift of evangelism. d. The extraverted-feeling0judgment (EFJ) type is more common among those having the gift of pastoring. e. The introverted-sensing (IS) type is more common among those with gifts of helps and intercession. f. The intuitive-judgment (NJ) type is more common with the gift of knowledge. g. The thinking-perceptive (TP) type is more common among those having the gift of wisdom.

4. Specifically for females: The extraverted type is more common among those having gifts of exhortation, administration, and faith.

Conclusions

This study validates that psychological types are relevant predictors for 16 of the 19 spiritual gifts. It infers that gifts of intercession and helps are more practical for one-to-one ministeries. It appears that the higher the self-perception of spiritual maturity, the higher is the perception of spiritual giftedness. Finally, it suggests that only the gift of faith is more common among women, but gifts of administration, apostleship, evangelism, knowledge, patoring, and teaching are more common to men.

Subject Area

Gifts, Spiritual, Christianity--Psychology.

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.32597/dissertations/633/

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