Spiritual transcendence and the scientific study of spirituality

This study over-viewed the basic scientific issues pertaining to the measurement of spirituality. An empirical framework, based on the five-factor model of personality (FFM), was presented for use in the development and validation of spiritual constructs. The utility of the Spiritual Transcendence Scale (STS) as a psychometrically sound measure was evaluated. Using a sample of undergraduate students that included both self-report ((N) under bar = 322) and observer data ((N) under bar = 188), it was shown that the STS: (a) demonstrated its putative second-order factor structure; (b) was independent of measures of the FFM; (c) evidenced good cross-observer convergence; and (d) predicted a wide range of psychologically salient outcomes, even after controlling for the predictive effects of personality. It was argued that spiritual constructs can be most efficacious when incorporated as part of a multidimensional assessment battery that includes other personality domains.