The Relationship between Neuroticism and Religiosity among English 15-and 16-Year-Olds

Abstract

Summary The Junior version of the Eysenck scale of neuroticism and the Francis scale of attitude towards religion Form ASC4B were administered to 1088 15- and 16-year-old English school boys and girls in order to examine two conflicting psychological accounts of the relationship between religiosity and stability. The positive significant correlation found between religiosity and neuroticism is shown to be an artifact caused by the fact that women are both more neurotic and more religious than men. The data support neither the hypothesis that religiosity is an expression of instability nor the hypothesis that religiosity fosters stability.