INDEX OF CORE SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES

Abstract

The INDEX OF CORE SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES (INSPIRIT) is a 7-item psychological measure designed to identify profound spiritual events that are described in more intense and concrete terms than typical, amorphous religious beliefs. The scale operationalizes two key characteristics of a Core Spiritual Experience (CSE): the occurrence of a distinct event leading to a personal conviction of God’s existence, and the perception of a highly internalized, close relationship with God. Developed by Kass et al. (1991), the INSPIRIT aims both to quantify these experiences and to investigate their relationship with various health outcomes.

The final 7-item scale was derived from an initial pool of 11 questions following a Principal Components Analysis. Items are scored on a 1-4 scale, and the total INSPIRIT score is calculated as the mean of all items. Scores ranging from 3.5 to 4.0 are considered a strong indication of the occurrence of at least one CSE. The scoring of Item 7, a 12-part checklist, remains a point of controversy, with the original Kass method focusing on the highest recorded score and the VandeCreek et al. (1995) method advocating for the inclusion of all responses for greater clinical utility.

Keywords

Core Spiritual Experiences, INSPIRIT, Intrinsic Religiosity, Spiritual Assessment, Religious Orientation, Health Outcomes, Psychological Measurement

Authors

J. D. Kass, R. Friedman, J. Lesserman, P. Zuttermeister, H. Benson

Purpose

The primary purpose of the INSPIRIT scale is twofold. First, it seeks to provide a quantifiable measure for identifying genuine Core Spiritual Experiences that move beyond a general statement of religious belief. This involves capturing experiences that are intense, distinct, and result in a definitive cognitive appraisal of conviction regarding God’s existence.

Second, a core objective of the scale’s development was to investigate potential relationships between the occurrence of these profound spiritual experiences and measurable health outcomes. The initial standardization utilized a clinical population to test the hypothesized correlation between spiritual depth and health improvements.

Construct

The INSPIRIT measures the construct of Core Spiritual Experiences (CSEs). This construct is characterized by two distinct, fundamental elements. The first element is the occurrence of a specific, identifiable event followed by a cognitive appraisal that leads to a personal conviction regarding the existence of God or a Higher Power.

The second element involves the perception of a highly internalized, intimate, and close relationship between the individual and the divine, often articulated as the belief that God dwells within the person. The 7 items of the final scale are structured to operationalize these two characteristics: Items 3, 5, and 7 focus on experiences leading to conviction, while Items 1, 2, 4, and 6 measure attitudes and behaviors indicative of closeness to God.

Validity

The construct validity of the INSPIRIT was assessed using hypothesized group differences and correlational analysis with established religious measures. Kass et al. (1991) established discriminant validity by demonstrating that INSPIRIT scores could significantly differentiate between groups based on meditative experience. Subjects with more than one month of meditative experience (M = 3.15) showed significantly higher INSPIRIT scores compared to those with less experience (M = 2.70, p < .04).

Convergent validity was supported through correlations with the Religious Orientation Inventory (ROI). The INSPIRIT showed a strong positive correlation with the Intrinsic Scale of the ROI (r = .69, p < .0001) and a weak negative correlation with the Extrinsic Scale (r = -.26, p < .06). Subsequent research by VandeCreek et al. (1995) further supported convergent validity, finding substantial correlations with the Intrinsic Religious Motivation Scale (IRMS).

A discrepancy in validity coefficients arose when comparing scoring methods for Item 7: the Kass method yielded a higher correlation with the IRMS (r = .61) than the VandeCreek method (r = .54). This suggests the Kass method, which prioritizes the cognitive impact of the spiritual experience over quantity, may be more reflective of underlying intrinsic religiosity.

Reliability

Internal consistency reliability for the INSPIRIT was assessed using Cronbach’s Coefficient Alpha. The 7-item scale demonstrated an impressive degree of internal reliability, yielding an alpha coefficient of 0.90 based on the Kass et al. (1991) study. This high correlation indicates excellent cohesion among the items in measuring the underlying construct of Core Spiritual Experiences.

Reliability estimates were also calculated for the alternative scoring method proposed by VandeCreek et al. (1995). When factor analysis was constrained to two factors encompassing the six primary items and the 12 parts of the checklist, the resulting Cronbach’s Coefficient Alpha was 0.88, confirming high internal consistency even with the modified scoring approach.

Factor Analysis

The development of the INSPIRIT began with an initial pool of 11 questions. A Principal Components Analysis (PCA) utilizing orthogonal varimax rotation identified three factors. However, the first factor, comprising the final 7 items (Items 1-7), showed a dramatic separation in loadings, yielding a high eigenvalue of 4.58. The remaining items (8-11) did not form unified or conceptually sound factors.

Consequently, the final version of the INSPIRIT consists only of the 7 items that load onto the primary component. A subsequent PCA of the final 7-item scale retained all items in a single component (eigenvalue = 4.42), accounting for 63% of the explained variance. Loadings for these items ranged robustly from 0.69 to 0.85, confirming the unidimensional nature of the Core Spiritual Experiences construct as measured by this index.

Instrument

Test Type: Psychometric Scale / Self-Report Questionnaire

Format: Paper-and-pencil measure; 7 items utilizing a Likert-type scale or checklist format.

Language Available: English (Original)

Population Group: Adults in healthcare settings; standardized initially against outpatients with various medical diagnoses.

Age Group: Adult (Range 17 to 78 in subsequent studies)

Population Details: Initial standardization (N=83) was highly selective: predominantly white (94%), female (66%), highly educated (M=16.1 years). Subsequent standardization (N=371) included cancer outpatients and family members, showing similar demographic constraints (91% white).

Test Methodology: Items are scored 1-4, and the total score is the mean of all items. Instructions encourage respondents to use their personal definition of “God” to mitigate the influence of social desirability bias.

Keywords

Spiritual Experience Index, INSPIRIT, Kass, Spiritual Conviction, Religious Motivation, Psychometrics, Scale Development

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A

Correspondence Address: N/A

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The original publication of the scale occurred in 1991. Permissions and fees must be sought from the primary authors or the publisher, the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.

Reference’s

Allport, G. W., & Ross, J.M. (1967). Personal religious orientation and prejudice. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 5(4), 434-443.

Davidson, J. (1976). The physiology of meditation and mystical states of consciousness. Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, 19, 345-379.

Davis, J. A., & Smith, T. W. (1985). General social surveys: 1972-1985. Chicago: National Opinion Research Center.

Greeley, A. (1974). Ecstasy: A way of knowing. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Hoge, D. (1972). A validated intrinsic religious motivation scale. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 11(4), 369-376.

Kass, J. D., Friedman, R., Lesserman, J., Zuttermeister, P., & Benson, H. (1991). Health outcomes and a new index of spiritual experience. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 30(2), 203-211.

Kornfield, J. (1979). Intensive insight meditation: A phenomonological study. The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 2(1), 41-58.

VandeCreek, L., Ayres, S., & Bassham, M. (1995). Using the INSPIRIT to conduct spiritual assessments. Journal of Pastoral Care, 49(1 ), 83-89.

Items of the INDEX OF CORE SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES

Instructions: The following questions concern your spiritual or religious beliefs and experiences. There are no right or wrong answers. For each question, circle the number of the answer that is most true for you.

• How strongly religious (or spiritually oriented) do you consider yourself to be? (strong; somewhat strong; not very strong; not at all; can’t answer)
• About how often do you spend time on religious or spiritual practices? (several times per day-several times per week; once per week-several times per month; once per month-several times per year; once a year or less)
• How often have you felt as though you were very close to a powerful spiritual force that seemed to lift you outside yourself? (never; once or twice; several times; often; can’t answer)

People have many different definitions of the Higher Power” that we often call “God. ” Please use your definition of God when answering the following questions.

• How close do you feel to God? (extremely close; somewhat close; not very close; I don’t believe in God; can’t answer)
• Have you ever had an experience that has convinced you that God exists? (yes; no; can’t answer)
• Indicate whether you agree or disagree with this statement: “God dwells within you.” (definitely disagree; tend to disagree; tend to agree; definitely agree)
• The following list describes spiritual experiences that some people have had. Please indicate if you have had any of these experiences and the extent to which each of them has affected your belief in God.

The response choices are:

I had this experience and it:

• • • 4) Convinced me of God’s existence
    • 3) Strengthened belief in God; or
    • 2) Did not strengthen belief in God.
    • 1) I have never had this experience.

1. An experience of God’s energy or presence
2. An experience of a great spiritual figure (e.g., Jesus, Mary, Elijah, Buddha)
3. An experience of angels or guiding spirits
4. An experience of communication with someone who has died
5. Meeting or listening to a spiritual teacher or master
6. An overwhelming experience of love
7. An experience of profound inner peace
8. An experience of complete joy and ecstasy
9. A miraculous (or not normally occurring) event
10. A healing of your body or mind (or witnessed such a healing)
11. A feeling of unity with the earth and all living beings
12. An experience with near death or life after death
13. Other