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Superstitious compulsions
Author(s) -
Liddell Andrée,
Morgan Georgina
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
british journal of medical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.102
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 2044-8341
pISSN - 0007-1129
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8341.1978.tb02483.x
Subject(s) - psychology , eysenck personality questionnaire , neuroticism , superstition , personality , statistical significance , demography , clinical psychology , extraversion and introversion , developmental psychology , social psychology , big five personality traits , medicine , theology , philosophy , sociology
The degree of superstitious compulsion present in a sample of undergraduate students at North East London Polytechnic was measured in a two‐part study. Initially measurement was carried out using a questionnaire designed to investigate the effects of age, sex and home area (rural or urban) on the level of compulsion to indulge in superstitious behaviour. The subjects, 86 volunteer students, were asked to rate levels of superstitious compulsion retrospectively, and a highly significant difference was noted between three age ranges. The difference between sexes also showed similarly high significance with female students indicating a higher level of compulsion at all age levels. However, the home area differences failed to reach significance at any level. This parameter was, therefore, eliminated from the second study and replaced by a request for information about parent's or guardian's occupation for analysis of socio‐economic status. This second study was carried out on 96 volunteer undergraduate students who had not taken part in the first study. A questionnaire modified from that used in the first study was employed in combination with the Eysenck Personality Inventory Form A (Eysenck & Eysenck, 1964) and the Sandler & Hazari scales (Sandler & Hazari, 1960), in order to investigate a relationship between the degree of neuroticism, obsessionality and superstitious compulsions. The 20 items on the modified questionnaire were evenly divided between those requiring active avoidance (ritualistic) and those necessitating passive avoidance (phobic). The data received indicated that age, type of superstition (phobic or ritualistic) and personality factors were important variables. It did not confirm the results of the first study that women are, in general, more superstitious than men. However, there would appear to be some evidence that ritualistic compulsions in the early teens could predict later levels of neuroticism and that there may also be an association between obsessionality and phobic superstitions in young adults.