Examination of the psychometric properties of the temperament and character inventory self-transcendence dimension

Using a sample of 376 undergraduate students, the present investigation examined the validity of the Self-Transcendence Dimension of the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). Though evidence of reliability, criterion validity, and convergent validity for the total Self-Transcendence dimension was generally obtained, factor analysis of the TCI Self-Transcendence items provided marginal support for its five subscale structure. Based on additional factor analytic work, four revised subscales were developed for TCI Self-Transcendence. Labeled Spiritual and Religious Beliefs (SRB), Unifying Interconnectedness (UIC), Belief in the Supernatural (BSN), and Dissolution of Self in Experience (DSE), these subscales were found to produce scores of adequate to excellent reliability and all but DSE demonstrate strong associations with conceptually similar constructs. The paper concludes with a discussion of the meaning and implications of our findings for the TCI and future research on spirituality and personality.