Glossolalia : mental health and locus of control

Abstract

The present study focussed on three major areas of interest: the relationship between glossolalia, or speaking in tongues, and positive mental health; the relationship between glossolalia and locus of control; and finally, the use of Rotter's original locus of control scale with highly religious populations. Ninety subjects were assigned to four groups on the basis of self-report data. The Old Tongues group was comprised of actively practising Christians who had been glossolalic for more than three years, while those in the Young Tongues group had been glossolalic for three years or less. Subjects in the No Tongues group were actively practising Christians yet non-glossolalic. Finally, subjects in the No Religion group were self-described atheists or agnostics and non-glossolalic. All subjects completed three paper and pencil instruments; Rotter's (1966) Social Reaction Inventory (SRI), Shostrom's (1963, 1964, 1966) Personal Orientation Inventory (POI), and finally, an original survey questionnaire prepared by the author and dealing with selected aspects of the respondents' family and personal backgrounds, and religious experiences and beliefs.