Personality Characteristics, Beliefs, and the Near-Death Experience

This study attempted to address the psychological correlates of near-death experience (NDE) reports. A sample of 239 participants (30 NDE experiencers, 120 NDE believers, and 89 controls) was drawn from the general population. Participants were assessed on the variables of fantasy proneness, paranormal beliefs, spiritual beliefs, and the intuition and feeling personality dimensions of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. NDE experiencers were assessed separately on the NDE scale, and experiencers' qualitative accounts of the NDE were also assessed. Experiencers differed significantly from controls on the variables of fantasy proneness, as measured by the Inventory of Childhood Memories and Imaginings, and paranormal beliefs, as measured by the Paranormal Beliefs Scale. The findings showed that experiencers and believers differed significantly on feeling preference of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Believers differed significantly from controls on all of the variables