| DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.2721 | Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands - cal effect of boosting superiority feelings. It can thus operate like other self-enhance- Radboud University, P.O. Box 9104, 6500 ment tools and contribute to a contingent self-worth that depends on one's spiritual HE Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Email:
[email protected] accomplishments. In three studies (N = 533, N = 2,223, N = 965), a brief measure of spiritual superiority showed good internal consistency and discriminant validity. As Anouk Visser, Behavior Change Group, predicted, it was distinctly related to spiritual contingency of self-worth, illustrat- Nijmegen, The Netherlands ing that the self-enhancement function of spirituality is similar to other contingency domains. It was correlated with self-esteem and, more strongly, with communal nar- were consistently higher among energetically trained participants than mindfulness trainees and were associated with supernatural overconfidence and self-ascribed spiritual guidance. Our results illustrate that the self-enhancement motive is power- ful and deeply ingrained so that it can hijack methods intended to transcend the ego and, instead, adopt them to its own service. contingent self-worth, mindfulness, narcissism, self-enhancement, spirituality | They may become ambitious in climbing the spiritual ladder, onto the next level, in much the same way as in academics, sports, or work. Ego is able to convert anything to its own use, even And they may feel superior to others who lack the spiritual