1 / 10100%
SPIRITUALITY AND QUIET EGO 1
Results
The total sample collected for this study consisted of 35 individuals: 18 female (51.4%)
and 17 male (48.6%), providing roughly even distribution. This was a fortuitous outcome, since
participation in the study was voluntary and no effort was made to ensure equal sampling in
regards to gender. Other demographic parameters were not so well dispersed, with 62.9% of the
sample being married, 88.6% being white, and 48.5% falling between the ages of 30 and 33.
The purpose of the study was to determine whether there is a relationship between
spirituality and quiet ego. In order to accomplish this, a Pearson’s r Correlation was calculated
based on participants’ scores of spirituality and quiet ego. No relationship was found, r (33) =
0.168, p = .336,
r
2
= .028 (two-tailed). The null hypothesis is retained; there is no correlation
between spirituality and quiet ego (see Table 1).
Table 1
Pearson’s r Correlation for Spirituality and Quiet Ego
SPIRITUALITY AND QUIET EGO 2
The coefficient of determination demonstrates that less than three percent of spirituality
and quiet ego can be accounted for by the other variable (see Figure 1).
Figure 1
Scatterplot for Spirituality and Quiet Ego
Discussion
This study set out to determine if a relationship exists between spirituality and quiet ego.
A survey was administered to 35 volunteers via Facebook and Google Forms, with the results
ultimately indicating that no such relationship exists. One limitation of the study was the
sampling method, with only people who owned Facebook accounts and were friends with the
researcher able to participate. This led a few individuals to question whether the researcher
would be able to identify their data, which could conceivably have led to a subject effect despite
reassurances of anonymity. It is also possible that some of the heavily skewed demographic
SPIRITUALITY AND QUIET EGO 3
factors had an impact on results, with white, married people in their early thirties being
disproportionately represented.
While the null hypothesis was retained, this was not an altogether unexpected outcome
based on the research examined: MacLeod et al. (2019) saw a stark contrast in anxiety levels
between those who considered themselves religious versus spiritual, with spiritual people
experiencing less anxiety and aligning more with quiet ego characteristics. While all religious
people may be spiritual, not all spiritual people are religious; this leads to difficulty in
interpreting the interactions between spirituality and quiet ego without also knowing where
participants score on a scale of religiosity. This line of reasoning extends to the constituent
components of quiet ego, such as self-compassion, as well. While self-compassion is part of
quiet ego (Chew & Ang, 2021), it is unclear if self-compassion is a necessary–or even desirable–
characteristic of spirituality generally, much less consistently necessary or desirable across the
plethora of organized religions. Gratitude, on the other hand, another quiet ego component, was
found to reinforce positive religious experiences in individuals and shield them from negative
religious experiences (Szcześniak et al., 2022). These characteristics represent a microcosm of
the issue with attempting to use spirituality as a variable without accounting for religiosity: the
two interact in ways that can corroborate or contradict each other depending on the metric
observed.
What spirituality even means, or what it means to have a spiritual awakening, varies
drastically from ego-dissolution to an explosion of energy (Taylor, 2018). While the former can
encourage leaders to display quiet ego characteristics that improve job satisfaction (Buonomo et
al., 2021), there is still no clear research, as highlighted earlier, on how the constructs of quiet
ego and spirituality interact. It is very possible the results of this study are accurate and that quiet
SPIRITUALITY AND QUIET EGO 4
ego and spirituality have too many constituent components with conflicting interactions to
significantly correlate. Even if this is the case, while the results of this study did not find a link
between quiet ego and spirituality, there is still the very relevant question of how elements of
these constructs interact. The research hypothesis is both broad and in its infancy; meaning that if
further research can parse apart spirituality from religiosity or look at how some of the other,
unexamined elements of quiet ego interact with spirituality, a future study could re-examine the
research question with a better understanding of its complexities, and hopefully, a more
representative demographic sample.
SPIRITUALITY AND QUIET EGO 5
References
Buonomo, I., Farnese, M. L., Vecina, M. L., & Benevene, P. (2021). Other-focused approach to
teaching. the effect of ethical leadership and quiet ego on work engagement and the
mediating role of compassion satisfaction.Frontiers in Psychology,12, 692116-
692116.Hhttps://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.692116
Chew, L., & Ang, C. (2021). The relationship among quiet ego, authenticity, self-compassion and
life satisfaction in adults.Current Psychology (New Brunswick,
N.J.),https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01867-5
MacLeod, R., Wilson, D. M., Crandall, J., & Austin, P. (2019). Death anxiety among New
Zealanders: The predictive roles of religion, spirituality, and family connection.Omega:
Journal of Death and Dying,80(1), 3-19.Hhttps://doi.org/10.1177/0030222817724307
Szcześniak, M., Falewicz, A., Madej, D., Bielecka, G., Pracka, J., & Rybarski, R. (2022). The
mediating effect of dispositional gratitude on the relationship between religious struggles
and self-esteem: Preliminary results.Religions (Basel, Switzerland ),13(1),
70.Hhttps://doi.org/10.3390/rel13010070
Taylor, S. (2018). Two modes of sudden spiritual awakening? ego-dissolution and explosive
energetic awakening.International Journal of Transpersonal Studies,37(2),
131.Hhttps://doi.org/10.24972/ijts.2018.37.2.131
SPIRITUALITY AND QUIET EGO 6
SPIRITUALITY AND QUIET EGO 7
Appendix
Section 1
1. Biological sex:
a. Answer options (select one):
Male Female
2. Gender:
a. Answer options (select one):
Male Female Other
3. Age in years:
4. Racial category:
a. Answer options (select all that apply):
Native
American
Asian Black or African
American
Hispanic or
Latino
Pacific
Islander
White Other
5. Marital status:
a. Answer options: (select one):
Married Widowed Divorced Separated Never Married
Section 2
1. In terms of questions I have about life, my spirituality answers:
No Questions
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Absolutely all my questions
10
2. Growing spiritually is:
More important than
anything else in my life
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Of no importance to me
0
3. When I am faced with an important decision, my spirituality:
Plays absolutely no role Is always the overriding
consideration
SPIRITUALITY AND QUIET EGO 8
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
4. Spirituality is:
The master motive of my life,
directing every other aspect
of my life
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Not a part of my life
0
5. When I think of the things that help me to grow and mature as a person, my
spirituality:
Has no effect on my
personal growth
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Is absolutely the most
important factor in my
personal growth
10
6. My spiritual beliefs affect:
Absolutely every aspect of
my life
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
No aspect of my life
0
Section 3
1. I think it is important to have new experiences that challenge how you think about
yourself and the world.
Strongly
Disagree
1
Disagree
2
Neither Agree or
Disagree
3
Agree
4
Strongly Agree
5
2. I find myself doing things without paying much attention.*
Strongly
Disagree
1
Disagree
2
Neither Agree or
Disagree
3
Agree
4
Strongly Agree
5
SPIRITUALITY AND QUIET EGO 9
3. I feel a connection to all living things.
Strongly
Disagree
1
Disagree
2
Neither Agree or
Disagree
3
Agree
4
Strongly Agree
5
4. Before criticizing somebody, I try to imagine how I would feel if I were in their
place.
Strongly
Disagree
1
Disagree
2
Neither Agree or
Disagree
3
Agree
4
Strongly Agree
5
5. For me, life has been a continuous process of learning, changing, and growth.
Strongly
Disagree
1
Disagree
2
Neither Agree or
Disagree
3
Agree
4
Strongly Agree
5
6. I do jobs or tasks automatically, without being aware of what I’m doing.*
Strongly
Disagree
1
Disagree
2
Neither Agree or
Disagree
3
Agree
4
Strongly Agree
5
7. I feel a connection with strangers.
Strongly
Disagree
1
Disagree
2
Neither Agree or
Disagree
3
Agree
4
Strongly Agree
5
8. When I’m upset at someone, I usually try to put myself in his or her shoes for a
while.
Strongly
Disagree
1
Disagree
2
Neither Agree or
Disagree
3
Agree
4
Strongly Agree
5
9. I have the sense that I have developed a lot as a person over time.
Strongly Disagree Neither Agree or Agree Strongly Agree
SPIRITUALITY AND QUIET EGO 10
Disagree
1 2
Disagree
3 4 5
10. I rush through activities without being really attentive to them.*
Strongly
Disagree
1
Disagree
2
Neither Agree or
Disagree
3
Agree
4
Strongly Agree
5
11. I sometimes find it difficult to see things from another person’s point of view.*
Strongly
Disagree
1
Disagree
2
Neither Agree or
Disagree
3
Agree
4
Strongly Agree
5
12. I feel a connection to people of other races.
Strongly
Disagree
1
Disagree
2
Neither Agree or
Disagree
3
Agree
4
Strongly Agree
5
13. I try to look at everybody’s side of a disagreement before I make a decision.
Strongly
Disagree
1
Disagree
2
Neither Agree or
Disagree
3
Agree
4
Strongly Agree
5
14. When I think about it, I haven’t really improved much as a person over the years.*
Strongly
Disagree
1
Disagree
2
Neither Agree or
Disagree
3
Agree
4
Strongly Agree
5
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