False Self Scale – Relationship with God

Abstract

The False Self Scale-Relationship with God is an adaptation of the original False Self Scale, designed to measure an individual’s tendency toward inauthenticity within their spiritual life, specifically concerning their relationship with God. Developed by Sippola, Buchanan, and Kehoe in 2007, this instrument shifts the focus from interpersonal relationships (such as romantic or peer relationships, which were the original context) to the theological domain. It assesses the extent to which individuals feel they must present a distorted or idealized persona—the False Self—rather than their true self when interacting with or reflecting upon God. The scale is crucial for research exploring spiritual development, religious coping mechanisms, and the integration of self-concept within a faith context.

Keywords

False Self, Authenticity, Inauthenticity, Spiritual Psychology, Relationship with God, Religious Experience, Self-Concealment, Psychological Assessment

Authors

L. K. Sippola, C. M. Buchanan, S. Kehoe

Purpose

The primary purpose of the False Self Scale-Relationship with God is to quantify the degree of perceived inauthenticity an individual experiences when engaging in their spiritual life or reflecting on their standing before God. Researchers use this adaptation to investigate how relational dynamics—often studied in interpersonal contexts—manifest in the theological realm. It aims to identify individuals who feel compelled to suppress aspects of their true identity, feelings, or behaviors in the belief that doing so is necessary to please God or maintain a positive spiritual status. The scale’s utility lies in linking established psychological constructs of the self with dimensions of religious experience.

Construct

The scale measures the construct of the False Self (or inauthenticity) in a spiritual context. The False Self, as conceptualized in psychology, refers to the defensive mask or persona an individual presents to others, often resulting from the fear that their authentic self is unacceptable or unlovable. When applied to the relationship with God, the construct manifests as the belief that one must “act a certain way” or conceal “certain things” about oneself in order for God to accept or appreciate them. Conversely, the absence of the False Self reflects spiritual authenticity, characterized by the feeling that God knows and loves the “true” self.

Validity

While the immediate source provides the adapted items, detailed psychometric properties specific to the Relationship with God adaptation are typically presented in subsequent validation studies or the primary research paper. The validity of the original False Self Scale, from which these items were adapted (Sippola et al., 2007), was established through correlations with related measures of self-esteem, attachment styles, and relationship quality in adolescent romantic relationships. For the spiritual adaptation, validity would generally be assessed through correlations with measures of secure attachment to God, religious commitment, spiritual well-being, and measures of psychological distress, demonstrating its ability to accurately measure the intended construct within the religious domain.

Reliability

Reliability refers to the consistency and stability of the measurement. In the original context, the False Self Scale demonstrated strong internal consistency (typically measured by Cronbach’s alpha). For the adapted False Self Scale-Relationship with God, reliability studies would need to confirm that the items consistently measure the same underlying construct across different populations and time points. Researchers often examine test-retest reliability and internal consistency to ensure that the scale provides stable and dependable scores when assessing spiritual inauthenticity.

Factor Analysis

Factor analysis is used to determine the underlying structure of the scale items. The original False Self Scale often yields a single dominant factor representing overall inauthenticity. For the Relationship with God adaptation, factor analysis would verify if the seven items load onto a single factor of “False Self in relation to God,” or if they split into distinct sub-factors, such as fear of disclosure versus behavioral conformity. Establishing a clear factor structure is essential for confirming the scale’s construct validity and guiding scoring procedures.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-Report Questionnaire

Format: Likert scale, 5-point rating system.

Language Available: English (as presented in the source material).

Population Group: Individuals engaged in a relationship with God (typically studied in religious or spiritually oriented populations).

Age Group: Not explicitly restricted in the adaptation, but derived from research initially focused on adolescent samples (Sippola et al., 2007).

Population Details: The instructions are general, addressing the individual’s experiences in their relationship with God, making it applicable to various faith traditions where the concept of a personal relationship with the divine is central.

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate their level of agreement or disagreement with each statement using a 5-point scale:

• 1= Strongly disagree
• 2= Somewhat disagree
• 3= Neither agree nor disagree
• 4= Somewhat Agree
• 5= Strongly Agree

Keywords

Spiritual authenticity, religious coping, self-concept, psychological assessment, God relationship, Sippola, Buchanan, Kehoe, adaptation, inauthenticity

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in the immediate source.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not specified in the immediate source.

Correspondence Address: Not specified in the immediate source.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale items and instructions were adapted from the original 2007 publication in the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, copyrighted by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Use of the adapted scale for research purposes typically requires proper citation and adherence to academic fair use guidelines. Researchers should consult the primary authors or the journal publisher for commercial or large-scale administrative permissions. The test year for the original underlying instrument is 2007.

The original PDF containing the scale and contextual information can be downloaded here: http://www.acu.edu/academics/cas/psychology/documents/beck/Attachment%20to%20God.pdf

Reference’s

The primary reference for the adaptation of the items is:

• Sippola, L. K., Buchanan, C. M., & Kehoe, S. (2007). Correlates of False Self in Adolescent Romantic Relationships. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 36(4), 515–521. Copyright 2007 by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Adapted with permission.

Items of the False Self Scale-Relationship with God

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with each of the statements listed below. Answer each item based on your experiences in relationship with God. We are interested in how you generally experience your relationship with God, not just in what is happening in that relationship currently.

1= Strongly disagree. 2= Somewhat disagree, 3= Neither agree nor disagree, 4= Somewhat Agree, 5= Strongly Agree

• ___1. It is harder to be myself when I am interacting with God than when I am not.
• ___2. I feel I have to act a certain way to please God.
• ___3. I feel like I am a different person when I am interacting with God.
• ___4. In order for God to like mc, I cannot reveal certain things about myself to him.
• ___5. I don’t really act like my true self when I am interacting with God.
• ___6. God loves and appreciates mc for who I am.
• ___7. I feel that God doesn’t know the “true” me.