Octogenarian Reports of Lifetime Spiritual Experiences: Types of Experience and Early Life Predictors

Abstract

This study assessed lifetime histories of discrete spiritual experiences recalled by 144 octogenarian men studied since adolescence and 80 spouses. Women were more likely to report discrete spiritual experiences, as were those from higher socioeconomic backgrounds and those judged more open to experience as young adults. Factor analysis revealed four types of experiences related to beauty/nature, negative life events, protection by a sacred other, and traditional religious settings. Men from better childhood environments more commonly reported spiritual experiences concerning negative life events. Those with serious childhood illnesses were less likely to report experiences of feeling protected by a sacred other.

KEYWORDS:

• Spiritual experiences
• aging
• early life predictors

The study was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (R01 MH042248) and by a grant from the Harvard NeuroDiscovery Center. An earlier version of this work was presented at the annual meeting of the International Psychoanalytic Association, Chicago, IL, July 2009.