Abstract
In 1976 Batson introduced the construct of Quest motivation as a supplement to Allport's intrinsic/extrinsic dimensions to characterize mature; religious functioning. However, there has been some debate in the empirical literature regarding the validity of the Quest construct. The present study suggests that Quest may be a multidimensional construct and that continued construct validation of Quest should isolate and operationalize the various facets of Quest motivation. Toward this end, two dimensions of Quest, Tentativeness and Change, were isolated, operationalized, and used to predict spiritual well-being in addition to Allport's I/E constructs. The results indicated that tentativeness was predictive of existential well-being and intrinsic religiosity. By contrast, high change scores were predictive of increased extrinsic religious motives and lower spiritual well-being. Overall, these results suggest that Quest may indeed be a multidimensional construct, and that the individual facets of Quest may have very different relationships with religious variables.
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