Is there an affective neuroscience of spirituality? The development and validation of the OCEANic feelings scale

Beate Schmautz; Jürgen Fuchshuber; Deborah Andres; Theresa Prandstätter; Lisa Roithmeier; Anton Freund; Andreas Schwerdtfeger; Human-Friedrich Unterrainer

doi:10.3389/fnhum.2024.1329226

Is there an affective neuroscience of spirituality? The development and validation of the OCEANic feelings scale

Front Hum Neurosci. 2024 Jan 17:18:1329226. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2024.1329226. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
² Center for Integrative Addiction Research (CIAR), Grüner Kreis Society, Vienna, Austria.
³ Department of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
⁴ Comprehensive Center for Clinical Neurosciences and Mental Health, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
⁵ Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
⁶ Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic Medicine, Medical University Graz, Graz, Austria.
⁷ Department of Religious Studies, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.

Abstract

Background: Oceanic feelings represent a phenomenological structure of affective sensations that characteristically involve feelings of self-dissolution and feelings of unity and transcendence. This study presents the preliminary version of a self-report instrument to measure individual dispositions toward oceanic feelings in order to enable further research within the concept of primary emotions postulated by Jaak Panksepp.

Methods: A first version of the questionnaire was applied to a total sample of 926 German-speaking adults of the general population. After performing item analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) in a first study (N = 300), the questionnaire was shortened. In a second study (N = 626), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted and emerged scales were related to the already established instruments for the assessment of primary emotions (BANPS-GL) and Big Five personality traits (BFI-44).

Results: The OCEANic scale exhibited reliabilities ranging from Cronbach's α = 0.82 (positive) to α = 0.88 (negative) and plausible correlations with behavioral traits related to the seven affective neurobiological systems (ANGER, FEAR, CARE, SEEK, PLAY, SADNESS, and LUST) as well as with personality factors measured by the Big Five Inventory. For CFA, a bifactorial model with an overall factor demonstrated good fit: RMSEA = 0.00 (90% CI:0.00, 0.03); TLI = 1.00; CFI = 1.00; NFI = 0.99.

Discussion: The OCEANic scale enables the operationalization of oceanic feelings comprising two subscales and one total scale. The results indicate good reliability and acceptable factorial validity. Establishment and further validation of the OCEANic scale within future research will be needed to fully understand the role of oceanic feelings within the human affective life, especially the personality trait of spirituality.

Keywords: affective neuroscience; oceanic feeling; primary emotions; spirituality; test development.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare that no financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.