Psychological Characteristics of Applicants to the Jesuit Order

Kuchan, Anthony M.; Wierzbicki, Michael; Siderits, Mary Anne

doi:10.1007/s11089-012-0492-6

Cited by 9 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Several studies on the MMPI were not included in Table 1. Kuchan, Wierzbicki, and Siderits (2013) had 89 applicants to the Society of Jesus complete the MMPI or the MMPI-2 over a time frame spanning from 1979 to 2005. The applicants obtained a mean L score of 50.38 ( SD = 8.01).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This was the only MMPI study in which noticeably elevated L scale scores were reported (Dillon, 1983). In a study on applicants to the Society of Jesus, whose results were confounded by the use of either the MMPI or the MMPI-2, L scale scores were not elevated (Kuchan et al, 2013). With regard to MMPI-2 studies, the majority (58%) administered the test to applicants of a program (Gamino et al, 2007; Greene, 2007; Marlett et al, 2012; Plante et al, 1996; Plante & Apodaca, 2011; Plante et al, 2005; Rosik et al, 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reassessing the “traditional background hypothesis” for elevated MMPI and MMPI-2 Lie-scale scores.

Rosen¹,

Baldwin²,

Smith

2016

Psychological Assessment

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The Lie (L) scale of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) is widely regarded as a measure of conscious attempts to deny common human foibles and to present oneself in an unrealistically positive light. At the same time, the current MMPI-2 manual states that "traditional" and religious backgrounds can account for elevated L scale scores as high as 65T-79T, thereby tempering impression management interpretations for faith-based individuals. To assess the validity of the traditional background hypothesis, we reviewed 11 published studies that employed the original MMPI with religious samples and found that only 1 obtained an elevated mean L score. We then conducted a meta-analysis of 12 published MMPI-2 studies in which we compared L scores of religious samples to the test normative group. The meta-analysis revealed large between-study heterogeneity (I2 = 87.1), L scale scores for religious samples that were somewhat higher but did not approach the upper limits specified in the MMPI-2 manual, and an overall moderate effect size (d¯ = 0.54, p < .001; 95% confidence interval [0.37, 0.70]). Our analyses indicated that religious-group membership accounts, on average, for elevations on L of about 5 t-score points. Whether these scores reflect conscious "fake good" impression management or religious-based virtuousness remains unanswered. (PsycINFO Database Record

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reassessing the “traditional background hypothesis” for elevated MMPI and MMPI-2 Lie-scale scores.

Rosen¹,

Baldwin²,

Smith

2016

Psychological Assessment

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“…The assessment results were found to have a strong connection to ordination decisions in one study among United Methodist ministers (Malony & Majovski, 1986). However, assessment results were not found to predict early dropout in another study where applicants to a Jesuit order were in focus (Kuchan, Wierzbicki, & Siderits, 2012). Thus, there is no clear understanding of how psychological assessment results of applicants to ministry actually connect with later career mobility outcomes.…”

Section: Career Mobilitymentioning

confidence: 97%

Predicting Ordination, Early-Career Mobility, and Career Adaptation from Ministerial Applicants’ Psychological Assessment Results

Nortomaa

2016

Review of Religious Research

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The occupational group of ordained ministers is currently facing two types of change: the role of religion in Western societies is transforming, and the boundaryless work culture is expanding even further. As the profession is becoming more demanding, leaving clergy has become a worldwide problem across denominations. Churches are therefore increasingly applying psychological assessments to screen their applicants for ministry. Surprisingly, no studies have yet looked into the connections of these assessment results and later job-person fit: eventual ordination, early-career turnover and commitment, or earlycareer job performance and job satisfaction. In this study, personality metatraits (stability and plasticity), general mental ability, and social & attributional strategies were assessed for 785 persons heading for ordination in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Finland during 2006-2010. In a follow-up in 2012 (n=314, 40%), career mobility and career adaptation were inspected. The results indicate that the most influential feature is the determination of the applicant. Other aspects related to a successful career pattern were stability and absence of pessimistic strategies. The study confirms that personality metatraits are an applicable approach in selection assessment. Overall, the study provides an outlook on the entry stage recruitment to a vocational religious occupation in the boundaryless age of work.

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“…However, some academic researchers conduct these evaluations and have published a variety of peer-reviewed articles on these topics. These articles have summarized testing results from hundreds of these evaluations and have identified issues and patterns of results that may be helpful to others conducting these evaluations (e.g., Isacco, Finn, et al, 2020; Isacco & Plante, 2020; Kuchan et al, 2013; Plante et al, 1996, 2005; Thomas & Plante, 2015). Overall, these studies suggest that clerical applicants tend to be psychologically healthy individuals as measured primarily by MMPI-2 and RF scores.…”

Section: Frequently Asked Questionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychological evaluations of clergy applicants in the Catholic Church: Answering frequently asked questions.

Isacco¹,

Songy²,

Plante³

2022

Spirituality in Clinical Practice

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Psychological evaluations are a standard component of the admission process for applicants to clergy programs in the Roman Catholic Church. Increased research and scholarship have shed light on the psychological health of clergy applicants. However, practitioners continue to lack clear guidance on salient ethics, cultural competence, and clinical considerations needed to implement evidence-based psychological assessments with this population. The purpose of this article is to answer frequently asked questions about the psychological evaluation of clergy applicants in the Catholic Church. The article reviews the purposes of these specialty assessments, the importance of informed consent and confidentiality, relevant documents issued by the Catholic Church that need to be integrated into the assessment process, and the extant literature that provides clarity about common tests and research that are important for clergy applicant evaluations. As a result, this article fills an important void for psychological researchers and practitioners engaged in professional roles with the Catholic Church.

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Psychological Characteristics of Applicants to the Jesuit Order

Cited by 9 publications

References 14 publications

Reassessing the “traditional background hypothesis” for elevated MMPI and MMPI-2 Lie-scale scores.

Reassessing the “traditional background hypothesis” for elevated MMPI and MMPI-2 Lie-scale scores.

Predicting Ordination, Early-Career Mobility, and Career Adaptation from Ministerial Applicants’ Psychological Assessment Results

Psychological evaluations of clergy applicants in the Catholic Church: Answering frequently asked questions.

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