Testing the factor structure of the Francis Psychological Type Scales (FPTS): a replication among Church of England clergy and laity

ABSTRACT

The factor structure of the Francis Psychological Type Scales (FPTS) was examined using structural equation modelling and confirmatory factor analysis on samples of 1522 clergy and 2474 laity from the Church of England. The study built on an earlier analysis that had suggested a four-dimensional structure for the FPTS that corresponded to the four dimensions of the psychological type model. Results confirmed that most items loaded satisfactorily on their intended dimension (orientation, perceiving, judging, or attitude to the outer world). Using maximum likelihood estimation may have overestimated the fit of models compared with using weighed least squares estimation, which was better suited to the binary categorical variables used in the instrument. The analysis identified a few items that may have contributed to the reduced fit of the four-dimensional model.

KEYWORDS:

• CFA
• Francis Psychological Type Scales
• psychological type
• SEM

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the editors of Church Times for running the survey, and Leslie Francis for helping with its organisation.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).