This study examines the experience and appreciation of 381 visitors to St Davids Cathedral in West Wales through the lens of Jungian psychological type theory. The data demonstrate that St Davids Cathedral attracts more introverts than extraverts, more sensers than intuitives, and more judgers than perceivers, but equal proportions of thinkers and feelers. The data also demonstrate that different aspects of the visitor experience appeals to different psychological types. Sensors are more attracted than intuitives by the facts, information and data which they encounter on their visit. Feelers are more attracted than thinkers by the atmosphere and wider ambience generated by the cathedral during their visit. The implications of these findings are discussed for understanding and developing the way in which cathedrals may develop the visitor experience. Understanding cathedral visitors 3 Understanding cathedral visitors: Psychological type and individual differences in experience and appreciationThere seems to be a growing recognition within England and Wales of the symbiotic relationship between cathedrals and the tourism industry. For example, in their report, Heritage and Renewal, the Archbishops' Commission on Cathedrals (1994) highlighted both the importance of tourism for cathedrals and the importance of cathedrals for tourism within the wider economy. The commissioners wrote as follows.

No abstract

This study explores the theoretical and empirical connections between spiritual wellbeing and psychological type by drawing on Fisher's model of spiritual wellbeing as assessed by the Spiritual Health And Life Orientation Measure (SHALOM) and Francis' classification of psychological type as generated by the Francis Psychological Type Scales (FPTS). Data provided by 2,339 visitors to St Davids Cathedral in rural west Wales demonstrated that, when the four components of psychological type were considered independently, higher levels of spiritual wellbeing were associated with extraversion rather than introversion, with intuition rather than sensing, with feeling rather than thinking, and with perceiving rather than judging. Further examination of these data suggested that the judging process (distinguishing between the feeling function and the thinking function) was of greatest importance in shaping individual differences in spiritual health.

ABSTRACTwhen the four components of psychological type were considered independently, higher levels of spiritual wellbeing were associated with extraversion rather than introversion, with intuition rather than sensing, with feeling rather than thinking, and with perceiving rather than judging. Further examination of these data suggested that the judging process (distinguishing between the feeling function and the thinking function) was of greatest importance in shaping individual differences in spiritual health.

No abstract