Chapter 4 Jung: Analytical Psychology 137(34%), and for judging (83%) over perceiving (17%) functions, with no significant
differences between introverted and extraverted attitudes. Indeed, Sensing-Judging
(SJ) preference accounted for two out of every three female lay church leaders.
Interestingly, the profiles of the 936 Australian female churchgoers were remarkably
similar to these lay leaders, with again marked preferences for the SJ functions.
The 401 male lay church leaders also displayed strong preferences for sens-
ing (75%) over intuition (25%), and for judging (86%) over perceiving (14%).
However, in contrast with their female lay leader counterparts, male lay leaders
showed clear preferences for introversion (61%) over extraversion (39%) and for
thinking (55%) over feeling (45%). Again, the SJ functions were highly repre-
sented. And, again, the profiles of the 591 male churchgoers surveyed matched
these male lay leaders’, with highly similar preferences for introversion, sensing,
thinking, and judging.
The authors drew a number of interesting conclusions from this study. First,
the fact that the psychological type profiles of lay leaders and the congregations
from which they are drawn are so similar presents both potential benefits and
drawbacks. A benefit might be that lay leaders know and understand their congre-
gations very well. A drawback may be that both congregations and lay leaders are
out of step with the psychological types of the general community, as an earlier
study found that both male and female church attenders show significantly higher
preferences for sensing, feeling, and judging than the wider population (Robbins
& Francis, 2011). As the authors write, “In principle, churches proclaim their
invitation to worship to all psychological types. In practice, some psychological
types appear more willing to respond” (p. 909).
A second important conclusion from this work is the striking predominance
of the Sensing-Judging profile among lay church leaders, which again may have
its strengths and weaknesses. According to previous theorists of psychological type
and pastoral characteristics, SJ leaders value formal, dignified, and predictable
worship services (Oswald & Kroeger, 1988). This means that congregations led by
such individuals will not undergo unnecessary and significant change, that a sense
of loyalty and belonging will likely be fostered among their church attendees, and
that procedures and policies of the church will be clear. On the other hand, areas
of potential difficulty for SJ church leaders may be vulnerability to burnout, given
their strict commitments to rules, procedures, and obligations, and this profile may
cause disaffection among those in the congregation who question traditional church
teachings or who find order and discipline stifling.
Finally, this profile, which appears so strongly among lay church leaders,
lies in contrast to the profiles of ordained professional clergy, where SJ preferences
are seen in smaller percentages (31% of male clergy and 29% of female clergy)
(Francis et al., 2007). The authors warn that professional clergymen and clergy-
women, given their educations and likely participation in professional develop-
ment, may wish to try new and exploratory teachings or practices in their churches,
which may disgruntle long-standing SJ lay church leaders who prefer a more con-
ventional and predictable church culture.
This line of research applying psychological type theory to understand relation-
ships among clergy, churchgoers, and the general public provides insight into the
psychology of religion and helps illuminate differences in attitudes and values between