The German-Language Version of the Expressions of Spirituality Inventory-Revised: Adaptation and Initial Validation

Abstract

This study deals with the development and initial validation of the German language version of MacDonald's (2000) Expressions of Spirituality Inventory-Revised (ESI-R; Macdonald, D.A. (2000). The Expressions of Spirituality Inventory: Test Development, Validation and Scoring Information. Unpublished test manual. University of Detroit Mercy). Using two samples (N=479 and N=610 adults), we found the best fit for a five-factor solution that converges well with the original English language version. Correlations with subjective measures for religiosity, life satisfaction, orientations to happiness, personality, single item ratings of religious and spiritual behaviors as well as a ratings on the depiction of religious contents in the media support the validity of the German ESI-R. Overall, the findings are encouraging and the scale seems to be useful for further research in Germanlanguage countries.

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“…The five factor model was found to demonstrate superior fit relative to a competing four factor model and it did so in a manner that is generally consistent to what has been found in other cross-cultural and cross-linguistic research (MacDonald et al, 2015;Muhamad et al, 2014;Proyer & Laub, 2015). On the basis of these findings alone, there is sufficient justification for further research on the ESI-R in Peru.…”

“…Analysis of the readability and reading difficulty using Microsoft Word 2003, revealed that the ESI-R items produced a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of 6.2. The ESI-R has been shown to have adequate reliability and validity in a variety of different studies using different cultural samples (MacDonald et al, 2015;Muhamad et al, 2014;Proyer & Laub, 2015).…”

“…Fortunately, there are some indications that research is moving in the right direction. For example, the Expressions of Spirituality Inventory-Revised (ESI-R; MacDonald 2000b), a multidimensional measure of spirituality that was devised with transpersonal psychological theory in mind, has become the focus of cross-cultural investigations and the findings reported in the literature suggest that the test demonstrates satisfactory reliability and validity in different cultures and languages (MacDonald et al, 2015;Muhamad, Roodenburg, & Moore, 2014;Proyer & Laub, 2015).…”

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“…The ESI-R uses a five point response scale ranging from 0 (Strongly Disagree) to 4 (Strongly Agreement) that test-takers are instructed to use to rate how much they agree with the items as being applicable to their own attitudes, beliefs, experiences, and behaviors. Available investigations provide good support for the psychometric properties of the ESI-R in terms of reliability, factorial validity, convergent and discriminant validity, and criterion validity (e.g., MacDonald 2000b, MacDonald et al, 2015Muhamad et al, 2014;Proyer & Laub, 2015 Manga et al, 2004).…”

“…Second, both the ESI and ESI-R have been used fairly extensively in research and have been shown to be useful for theory development, test validation, and the exploration of the relation of spirituality to psychological and social functioning (e.g., Affeldt & MacDonald, 2010;Huber & MacDonald, 2012;Kassab & MacDonald, 2011;MacDonald, 2009;Mendez & MacDonald, 2012;Saucier & Skrzypinska, 2006). Third, the ESI-R has been studied in different cultures and support has been found for its reliability and validity (e.g., MacDonald et al, 2015;Muhamad, Roodenburg, & Moore, 2014;Proyer & Laub, 2015).…”