Schizotypy and religiosity: the magic of prayer

The term schizotypy is used to describe a diverse range of characteristics symptomatic of schizotypal personality disorder and borderline personality disorder. An emerging body of research is concerned with the relationship between schizotypy and religiosity. Mixed findings suggest a gender-specific, weak positive association between schizotypy and religiosity. The present aim was to clarify the relationship between schizotypy and religiosity by employing a multidimensional measure of prayer as a measure of religiosity. A sample of 371 Irish respondents completed the Measure of Prayer Type and the Schizotypal Personality (STA) and Borderline Personality (STB) Scales. Multiple regression showed that Magical Thinking uniquely predicted all prayer types, controlling for age and gender.