Personality and Paranormal Belief: A Study Among University Students

By : Pradeep Kumar, Satvinder Singh Saini, Rajni Sharma, Krishan Kumar

Page No: 651-660

Abstract
Present study was designed to explore the relationship between five factors of personality and eight types of paranormal beliefs among university students. To realize the main objective of the study, Neo-Five Factor Inventory (Costa and McCrae, 1992) and Revised Paranormal Belief Scale (Tobacyk, 2004) were administered on a sample of 100 Post Graduate Students. Total sample comprised of 58 male and 42 females with the age range between 20 to 28 years and mean age of 23.5 years. Data was obtained following the ethics prescribed in respective manuals, and analysed by applying descriptive statistics, Pearson Correlation and Principal Component Factor Analysis. Descriptive statistics reveal the normalcy of data distribution except some minor discrepancies. Coefficients of correlation depicted that factors of personality and types of paranormal beliefs have significant relationship among them. Neuroticism has marked positive association with Traditional Religious Belief; Extroversion correlated positively with PSI and Extraordinary Life Forms; and Openness to Experience yielded positive association with Extraordinary Life Forms. Rotated factor matrix extracted the four factors with respective % of variance 29.96, 14.82, 10.46 and 8.89, and eigenvalues of 3.60, 1.78, 1.26 and 1.07. Only Traditional Religious Belief loaded positively with Neuroticism on third factor. Other three factors not support the significant relationship between measures of personality and paranormal beliefs. In conclusion, persons high on Neuroticism tend to be high on Traditional Religious Beliefs.

Authors :
Pradeep Kumar : Assistant Professor – Department of Psychology, Central University of Haryana, Mahendragarh.
Satvinder Singh Saini : Play Therapist – Department of Psychiatry, PGIMER, Chandigarh.
Rajni Sharma : Play Therapist – Department of Paediatrics, PGIMER, Chandigarh.
Krishan Kumar : Corresponding Author, Assistant Professor – Department of Psychiatry, PGIMER, Chandigarh.
 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.32381/JPR.2020.15.02.26