The Content of Religious Experience: The Roles of Expectancy and Desirability

This study assessed the degree to which the contents of religious experiences agree with the expectations and rated desirability of various experiential contents. The respondents were 178 people who reported having had religious experiences, 57 without such encounters comprised an expectation group, and 112 persons who constituted a desirability rating group. Thirty-seven elements reported by those who had religious experiences and five factor scales comprised the test instrument. In sum, the data suggest that those who have religious experiences get what they anticipate, and their expectations emphasize highly desirable components in such experience.