The Numinous Motivation Inventory

Abstract

Abstract Over the past 25 years, I have been engaged in a program of research aimed at determining whether an empirically sustainable definition of the numinous could be obtained. The first step in this process was the development of an empirical model for establishing the viability of a numinous construct. From there, this epistemology was developed in light of an ontological model I created which outlined the theoretical origins, function, and expression of numinous constructs in our mental life. This ontological model gives direction and focus to the development of explicit measures of the numinous. The Numinous Motivation Inventory (NMI) benefits from these two developments and represents a second-generation measure of numinous functioning. The purpose of this chapter is to present the conceptual foundations and empirical development of the NMI. Its psychometric integrity and empirical predictiveness demonstrates its value over a previous generation measure. The value of the numinous, as operationalized through the NMI, is outlined and its potential for expanding the field discussed.