Distinctive call, distinctive profile : the psychological type profile of Church of England full-time hospital chaplains

This paper employs psychological type theory in order to illuminate the personality characteristics of Church of England clergy engaged in ministry as full-time hospital chaplains. Data provided by 101 chaplains (who completed the Francis Psychological Type Scales) are compared with the general profile of Church of England clergy published in an earlier study. The key findings are that, compared with Church of England clergymen in general, those engaged in full-time hospital chaplaincy are more likely to prefer introversion (71% compared with 57%), to prefer feeling (84% compared with 54%), and to prefer judging (82% compared with 68%). This finding is particularly poignant in light of the way in which, compared with Church of England clergymen in general, men in the United Kingdom population are less likely to prefer feeling (35%) or judging (55%). The implications of these findings are discussed for the development of health care chaplaincy